Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa declared state of emergency in five provinces of the country hit by heavy flooding.
The provinces of Manabi, Los Rios, Guayas, El Oro, and Loja, will remain in state of emergency since yesterday onwards, according to a Decree signed the Minister of Disaster Risk Management of Ecuador, Maria del Pilar Cornejo.
The document reads that this measure has been set because the rainfalls can increase in the next six weeks, which makes the population of those provinces more vulnerable.
The State of Emergency has a 60-day period term and will chiefly allocate resources to assist areas such as health, education, transport, housing, and agriculture, thus reinforcing the actions already enforced in various state ministries in those provinces.
Correa said that the government is now more prepared to face that kind of natural disaster through different state entities.
Published 09 March 2012, 08:20 IST