More than 9,000 families have been affected by severe flooding in northeastern Colombia, authorities reported on Saturday, after intense rainfall submerged hundreds of homes in the departments of Arauca and Casanare.
The Departmental Council for Risk Management of Arauca approved a declaration of public calamity in response to the emergency. According to UNGRD technical reports, the affected families are concentrated mainly in the municipalities of Arauquita, Saravena and Tame.
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A reconnaissance flyover confirmed four critical points resulting from collapsed road infrastructure. To expedite humanitarian aid deliveries, the UNGRD installed a military bridge between Arauca and the neighboring department of Norte de Santander.
El director de la UNGRD, @javier_pava_s, lideró el sobrevuelo al municipio de Arauquita, en compañía del gobernador de Arauca, @MartinezPRenson, y del alcalde Luis Fernando Panqueva, para monitorear la magnitud de la emergencia generada por las lluvias de las últimas horas.… pic.twitter.com/xwEEjvJT7W
— UNGRD
(@UNGRD) July 11, 2026
In Casanare, National Army and Aerospace Force troops mobilized to rescue and assist populations isolated in rural villages. The municipality of San Luis de Palenque was particularly hard hit, with nearly 90% of the area left underwater.
Hundreds of local families suffered total losses of their homes, crops, and livestock. They told authorities that the region had not witnessed a catastrophe of this magnitude in at least a decade.
UNGRD director Javier Pava warned in a statement that the heavy rains and subsequent dry spells represent “increasingly recurrent extreme climate events in the country due to climate change.”
Wilson Eduardo Porras, departmental director of Risk Management for Casanare, announced plans to contract heavy machinery to clear obstructed roads.
In a separate development, the Government of Venezuela issued a statement on Friday, July 10, expressing solidarity with Colombia, which concluded with an offer of technical capabilities and supplies, conveying “solidarity to all affected people” and offering collaboration and support to assist impacted communities and recovery efforts.
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