DISASTER
On Tuesday, April 2, 2024, a new flood alerted the residents of La Gasca. Videos spread on social networks showed streets flooded with water and mud after a morning of constant rain in Quito.
Destruction in the La Gasca sector, the rains washed away a large amount of mud.
The mayor of Quito, Pabel Muñoz, confirmed the tragic news of a person who died on the spot due to the flood. It was a motorcyclist who was crushed by a collapsed wall and has not yet been identified. Muñoz also mentioned the existence of injuries, although he did not provide specific figures.
The National Transit Agency (AMT) reported on the closure of several roads in the sector, including Mariscal Sucre and Universitaria, Mariscal Sucre and Mariana de Jesús, Mariscal Sucre and Alberto Albornoz, América and La Gasca, América and Colón, and América and Market. Traffic in the area collapsed, so alternative routes were recommended such as Simón Bolívar Avenue, 6 de Diciembre, Velasco Ibarra, Pichincha, Manuel Larrea Street, El Inca and Patria Avenues.
The videos shared revealed that water and mud flowed through the same tunnel a few meters from the El Tejado ravine, in La Comuna. This place was strongly affected by the 2022 flood, which left 28 dead and 52 injured. It was reported to ECU 911 from La Gasca, on Fulgencio Araujo and Antonio José de Sucre streets, with a large amount of mud and water flooding the streets at 1:28 p.m. on Tuesday, April 2, 2024. On Enrique Ritter transversal, Several vehicles were swept away by the mud, although there is no precise data on the damage suffered.
Destruction in the La Gasca sector, the rains washed away a large amount of mud.
ECU 911 coordinated the timely mobilization of units from the Quito Fire Department, the Metropolitan Transit Agency, the Ecuadorian Red Cross and the Metropolitan COE with ambulances, patrols, motorcycles and multipurpose units. The mayor of Quito, Pabel Muñoz, visited the site and assured that municipal teams were attending to the emergency. Although he did not provide further details, he stated that the situation was smaller than the previous one.
According to the Metropolitan Emergency Operations Committee (COE), prevention work is carried out in streams continuously. Despite this, the authorities assured that this flood did not reach the magnitude of the one that occurred in January 2022, thanks to previous cleaning efforts. A Unified Command Post was installed in the Seminario Mayor sector.
The Universidad Central Metro stop, located in the area, continued to operate normally, according to the municipal company, and no problems were recorded at the 15 stations. The central, northern and southern, western corridors also crossed América Avenue and circulated as usual.
Cause of the flood
Intense rainfall would be the main factor behind the overflow of the Quebrada El Tejado on Tuesday, April 2, 2024. According to data from the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (Inamhi), between March 31 and April 2, a accumulation of 150 millimeters of rain in the region. This contrasts with March rainfall, which ranged between 116 and 120 millimeters throughout the month.
This scenario has similarities with the one that occurred in 2022, which triggered a larger flood.
Javier Macas, forecast analyst at Inamhi, pointed out that it is a situation very similar to that of that year. He explained that there were two days of intense rain and absence of solar radiation and evaporation.
As a result, the stream overflowed due to the large amount of accumulated water. Macas also mentioned that the amount of rain experienced these days is common during the season popularly known as “April, thousand waters.”
2022 flood left 28 dead
Quito remembered March 21, 2022 as a date that plunged the city into mourning. The mud destroyed everything in its path, taking with it vehicles, garbage containers, trees and poles. It also claimed the lives of people and animals at an alarming rate. Screams and cries of despair echoed everywhere. These are the images of pain, destruction and death that were recorded in the memories of the inhabitants of La Comuna and La Gasca in Quito.
Reference photo The Universe.
The event had its origin in a torrent of mud and stones that descended from the El Tejado ravine. Unexpected rainfall caused landslides in that area. In the midst of the storm, there was a tragic night as families were evacuated and people were left missing. Rescue teams were working hard to help the injured and, unfortunately, recovering the bodies of the deceased.
Around 6:00 p.m. on January 31, 2022, those who were on the neighborhood volleyball court were the most affected. The mud took away everything in its path, including the structure of the sports arena and the people who were in it. The authorities reported that the structure intended to contain the flood received eight times more than it could support. Under all that material that descended towards the populated area, 28 lives were lost. The flood left 10 women widowed and 14 children orphaned.