Villagers in the south lose crops during flooding

Also in the south, on our side of the border, there was a heavy downpour overnight and several farmers in at least two villages lost all their corn fields when the water levels rose. Some farms in the already depressed areas are still under five feet of water. The flooding is so dire that Chairman of Otoxha Village in Toledo told News Five today that he feels the situation could result in a shortage of corn in the coming weeks.

Manuel Ack, Chairman, Otoxha Village, Toledo

“The river is the one that is causing the damage.  The currents went into these farms and then it stays there for hours or days. The flood is about five feet above the ground.”

Marion Ali

“Are you saying that crops are under five feet of water?”

Manuel Ack

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Marion Ali

“How many people are affected?”

Manuel Ack

“At the moment we have sixteen farmers.  We also had a report, the Alcalde from Corazon also came this afternoon at two and said their farms are under water also, not only Otoxha. We have eighteen farmers in Corazon that are affected also and the water is still stagnant at this moment. NEMO will be coming in either tomorrow or sometime next week.”

The flooding affected only farmland and crops and the villagers were spared of the damage. Ack says that so far the losses have not yet been tabulated but it could work out to be in the thousands since many of the farms are huge plots of land.