Northern Colombia faces one of the biggest climate catastrophes in years. At least 22 people have died and around 69,000 families are affected by the intense rain storm that has been recorded for more than a week in the northwest of the country. The authorities of the department of Córdoba, one of the most affected, highlight unprecedented flooding. In the last few hours, the president in charge of the Urrá Hydroelectric Plant, Juan Acevedo, resigned from his position following the request of President Gustavo Petro for a criminal investigation into the management of the reservoir.

First modification: 02/10/2026 - 13:41 Last modification: 02/10/2026 - 15:02

The homes of thousands of families in northwest Colombia are under water.

In Córdoba, one of the departments hardest hit by the storm, videos and aerial photographs show large fields of grass and crops flooded.

"It is an unprecedented event in history, we have no reports of an event of such magnitude"

In this optimal region for livestock farming, residents try to rescue the last goods with boats, improvised boats and trucks in critical points where the water reaches up to the residents' waists, reporters from the AFP news agency highlight.

"We lost all the appliances (...) We are with what we have on" clothes, he says from Montería, capital of Córdoba.

According to the official balance sheets of the Colombian Government, cited by the EFE news agency until February 8, 80% of the municipalities of that department are affected and at least 43,000 families are affected by the rains in Córdoba alone.

However, the consolidated national level, according to official figures cited by the local newspaper 'El Colombiano', indicates at least 69,000 families affected and among the hardest hit regions, in addition to Cordoba, are Santander, Chocó and Antioquia.

In addition, 22 people have been reported dead and at least three missing.

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"The situation that the department of Córdoba is experiencing today is an unprecedented event in history, we have no reports of an event of such magnitude," said the governor in an interview with EFE over the weekend.

The Situation has not improved and the emergency remains. In addition, the disaster relief authority estimates that at least 5,500 animals have been affected by the floods and have been rescued. Since the beginning of the emergency, images of operations to rescue cows and horses have been circulating.

"Many were lost because they ended up drowning (...) The situation is critical, the water continues to rise," Edwin Orozco, a resident of Lorica, a town near Montería, told AFP.

Hidroelectrica Urrá manager resigns amid climate emergency

The Colombian press reports that Juan Acevedo, president in charge of the Urrá Hydroelectric Plant, resigned from his position, hours after President Gustavo Petro requested a criminal investigation into the tragedy that hit the department of Córdoba especially hard.

According to a document, dated this Tuesday, February 10, the resignation was requested directly by the Minister of Mines and Energy, Edwin Palma. However, it does not imply complete separation from the company, so his departure only covers his last position, which he held since May 2025.

"It is not my intention to argue or confront the president. I consider that the most responsible thing is to step away from the assignment and allow the company to continue its work without my name becoming an additional element of controversy," Acevedo said in his letter of resignation from office.

According to President Petro during a Council of Ministers, in Montería, on Monday, February 9, the company would have exceeded the maximum authorized operating levels, despite warnings from the National Environmental License Authority (ANCLA).

Read alsoAt least 13 dead due to intense rains in Colombia

The Government sends ten tons of humanitarian aid

The National Unit for Risk Management (UNGRD) sent more than 10 tons to Montería, the departmental capital of Córdoba, from where they will later be taken to other municipalities where the floods have caused havoc.

"We continue in the department of Córdoba, where the UNGRD deployed a humanitarian operation to assist those affected by the floods. 10 tons of aid from the UNGRD arrived in the department, on a flight from the Colombian Aerospace Force (FAC), to reinforce the humanitarian response in the most affected municipalities," said the UNGRD in X.

The Colombian vice president, Francia Márquez, stated on platform X that the UNGRD also supports "rescue work, evacuations, temporary accommodations in the most affected municipalities."

"Rescue work, transportation of humanitarian aid, distribution of drinking water and delivery of food, blankets, mats and hygiene kits are being carried out, in coordination with entities of the National Government, solidarity organizations and committed citizens," added the senior official.

The rains, scarce for this time of year in Colombia, were intensified by the presence of two cold fronts from the northern hemisphere - one last week and another this weekend - that have reached the south of the Caribbean Sea and caused the flooding of rivers that, in the case of Córdoba, affect 24 of the 30 municipalities of the department, that is, 80% of the territory.

With AFP, EFE and local media

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