Heavy rains in April 2026 caused historic flooding and landslides across the Colombian departments of Arauca, Boyacá, and Casanare [1, 2, 3].

The disaster has severed critical transport links and displaced thousands of residents, threatening the economic stability of the region's agricultural and rural sectors.

In Arauca, the overflow of rivers and streams forced authorities to declare a state of public calamity [2]. Reports indicate that more than 9,000 families were affected by the flooding in that department [1]. A spokesperson for the department of Arauca said, "The heavy rains have left several municipalities isolated and have caused serious economic losses" [4].

Casanare faced similar devastation, leading Governor César Augusto Ortiz to declare a public calamity [5]. While some reports suggest more than 6,000 families were affected across 19 municipalities, other verified data puts the number of displaced families at more than 4,200 [2, 6]. Ortiz said, "We declare a public calamity in the face of the emergency caused by the rains" [5].

Infrastructure damage was particularly severe in Boyacá, where the floods and landslides destroyed at least 20 bridges [1]. These collapses have left several municipalities in the region incomunicados, cutting off access to essential services and emergency aid [4].

The crisis was triggered by an intense seasonal rainfall event that caused local streams and major rivers to breach their banks [4, 2]. The resulting floods swept through residential areas and farmland, leading to widespread displacement and the loss of livestock and crops.

Government officials from the national administration said that the overflow of rivers and streams necessitated the emergency declarations to expedite recovery efforts [2]. Efforts to restore bridge connectivity and provide shelter to the thousands of affected families remain the primary focus for regional authorities.

“The heavy rains have left several municipalities isolated and have caused serious economic losses.”

The scale of infrastructure failure, particularly the loss of 20 bridges in a single department, highlights a critical vulnerability in eastern Colombia's rural connectivity. By displacing over 13,000 families across three departments, the event demonstrates how seasonal weather extremes can rapidly escalate into a humanitarian crisis when geography and infrastructure cannot withstand river overflows.