According to the Secretariat for Risk Management (SGR), the rains in Manabí province caused the Pescadillo River to flood, causing flooding in the lower area of the local town of Flavio Alfaro.
SGR said firefighters, Red Cross and state police personnel helped evacuate residents affected by the floods.
Meanwhile, in Esmeraldas province, the number of people affected by the floods has risen to just over 14,000, while around 840 remain in shelters and nearly 1,500 have been rescued.
No fatalities have been reported so far, but there have been people at risk of suffocation and hypothermia who have been treated by lifeguards.
Several people from Esmeralda have criticized President Guillermo Lasso for the lack of help and many fear a health crisis in this city where the mud that has accumulated on the streets is mixing with water from sewers and septic tanks.
Neighbors warned that there are also children in the area who are starting to show stomach problems and allergies.
Esmeraldas is experiencing a tragedy that amplifies the problems of poverty and insecurity.
According to the National Statistics and Census Institute, 50.2 percent of the province’s population lives in poverty, with one in two residents living on less than $2.96 a day.
The Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (Inamhi) clarified that the heavy rains that have hit Esmeraldas have nothing to do with the El Niño phenomenon, although there are predictions that this weather event, which is planned for the second semester , will also cause copious amounts of rain.
Although the United States Ocean and Atmospheric Administration announced that the above event had started, Inamhi clarified that the fallout in the South American country would last from October to November.
El Niño could worsen the outlook, particularly in coastal cities, and lead to food shortages due to likely crop failures.
arc/nta