Heavy rains have been hitting Venezuela hard over the last few days creating large floods and landslides. Hugo Chavez has declared a state of emergency for the western part of the country as the military continues to aid victims. As for the numbers; about 5,000 people have been displaced with 17 deaths reported in the last day - bringing the total death toll up to 30. Officials say that the heavy rains in November have continued past the regular wet season causing 'ill-effects' on over 50,000 people nationwide. Many of the deaths have been from people being washed away from rivers and mudslides. These hazards have blocked a very important coastal highway in the city of Vargas. The flooding has also caused power outages that have closed down two oil refineries for the time being; meaning an extreme loss of profits for the next few days.
In December of 1999, thousands were killed in the same area (Vargas) as water and mudslides came down from the mountains close by. This tells me that some sort of precaution needs to be set forth to protect from floods/mudslides that are likely to happen in the future. These precautions may include some sort of levee system, damn, or a canal that would diverge floods away from the city. Other communities (like the one pictured below) may benefit from a wall at the base of the hillside to try to restrict mudslides from passing.
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