Bolivia's La Paz department declared "disaster zone"
Bolivia's La Paz department declared "disaster zone"
Feb 11,2014
LA PAZ, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- Bolivia's western La Paz department governor Cesar Cocarico on Monday declared his state a "disaster zone" due to the magnitude of the damage caused by recent heavy rains while Bolivian President Evo Morales pledged the government' s full support for thousands of victims of rain-caused disasters.
Cocarico told a press conference "the whole department is experiencing days of desperation. Many people are drinking the water that has flooded their homes and that drove us to declare La Paz as a disaster zone."
More than 5,000 families in the department of La Paz have been affected by severe rains since the beginning of January. As many as 19 towns have been badly hit in his department, Cocarico said.
"We have to build homes, roads, tend the crops, help many people who are now beginning to get sick," he said, adding the declaration of disaster zone will lead to more emergency funds.
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