Ecuador faces floods on top of earthquake damage

Huge swaths of western Ecuador have been ravaged by floods. Homes, highways, and about 17,300 acres of land have been destroyed.

Most of Manabi Province and its 1.37 million residents are under water.

Ecuador was already in rough shape when the rains struck.

The country was hit by a devastating magnitude-7.8 earthquake in April 2016. Repeated aftershocks through the following months made rebuilding almost impossible.

Many residents were still homeless when the heavy rains arrived in late winter.

“We should consider this winter’s effects as a partial consequence of the earthquake: the broken land is more vulnerable, the hydrology has changed, the rivers have obstructed water conduits,” said Ecuador President Rafael Correa.

Much of South America has faced the same harsh weather—unusually heavy rainfall causing widespread flooding.

Meteorologists blame a localized El Niño—abnormally warm waters in the Pacific Ocean immediately off the South American coast.

Hundreds of people have been drowned or washed away in Colombia and Peru.

Peru President Pablo Kuczynski thinks rebuilding could eventually cost $9 billion.