Medellín Floods Leave 38,148 Homes Without Water
WEATHER · COLOMBIA
Key Facts
- —The country Colombia. Medellín, its second-largest city, sits in the Aburrá Valley in the Andes and is one of the country’s main destinations for US visitors and remote workers.
- —Why it matters Heavy rain struck a city already short of water. EPM, the city-owned utility, has been asking homes to cut use because of a developing El Niño drought.
- —Why now Colombia is on a long weekend, with Monday 12 October a public holiday, so many visitors are in or travelling through the region.
- —What happened A storm on Friday 9 October flooded the La Iguaná creek and other areas. The city says 228 families, or 596 people, have received aid or are being registered.
- —The numbers 38,148 homes without water after a water intake collapsed. 214 homes flooded, 195 of them at La Iguaná. Three homes collapsed and six were permanently evacuated.
- —What it means for you Travellers in western and north-western districts should expect tanker water and check supply with their host. Emergency line: 123.
- —Still open When water returns to all 38,148 homes, and how many of about 70 homes in a cut-off part of Blanquizal were damaged.
The Medellín floods of Friday 9 October have left 38,148 homes without running water and 228 families in need of aid, the city government of Colombia’s second-largest city said on Saturday. A storm sent the La Iguaná creek over its banks in the west of the city. For US travellers and remote workers, one of Latin America’s most visited cities now faces a short-term supply cut on top of drought-driven rationing.
The official balance, published on Saturday 10 October and reported by El Colombiano, counts 596 people helped or being registered. Telemedellín, the city’s public broadcaster, reported three collapsed homes and six permanent evacuations. No deaths were reported in the balances published on Saturday.
The water cut has a specific cause. The intake of the San Cristóbal treatment plant collapsed, and power damage stopped pumping at the Cucaracho and Aures stations, according to the city. Tanker trucks are supplying the affected neighbourhoods while crews repair the system.
Where the Medellín Floods Hit
The worst damage came from flooding at La Iguaná, El Pesebre and Blanquizal, all hillside neighbourhoods. The city counts 214 flooded homes: 195 at La Iguaná in comuna 7 (Robledo), 14 at El Pesebre in comuna 13 and five at Blanquizal.
Water, mud and stones entered many houses along La Iguaná. Incidents were also logged in five comunas, Popular, Manrique, Robledo, San Javier and Guayabal, and in the rural districts of San Cristóbal and Altavista.
In Los Búcaros, beside the creek, the water swept away a car, collapsed part of a road and left half the neighbourhood’s residents cut off, Telemedellín reported. One man was rescued from the floodwater. The 123 emergency line took 420 calls on Friday afternoon and evening.
Emergency crews have handled 32 events across Medellín. They include 23 fallen trees, three structural failures, three floods, one landslide and one rescue from a lift. Trees and poles also came down in San Cristóbal, Guayabal, Belén and Laureles, a district popular with foreign residents.
Manuel Villa Mejía, the acting mayor, said at La Iguaná that the situation was under control and the water had dropped. “We have significant damage,” he told Telemedellín. He said a preliminary estimate put about 70 homes in a cut-off part of Blanquizal as possibly affected.
Villa is standing in for Mayor Federico Gutiérrez, who was elected in 2023 and took office in January 2024. Villa said aid is being delivered on Gutiérrez’s instruction. The fire brigade and DAGRD, the city’s disaster-risk agency, are assessing losses.
How the City Is Responding
More than 350 public employees are working in the affected areas day and night, the city said. Families have received food, hygiene kits, mattresses, blankets, kitchen items and clothing.
Of the 228 families, 53 are staying with relatives or friends, three were placed in a hotel and four moved into rentals at their own cost. The other 168 remain in their homes under monitoring.
Crews have cleared more than 110 cubic metres of debris and 60 cubic metres of mud from roads near La Iguaná. One child with asthma was taken to a clinic for assessment. The city says the main road network is running without major problems, with extra monitoring on the old road to the sea, the Antigua Vía al Mar.
The stabiliser is that the Medellín floods were short. By Saturday morning the creek had dropped, and the response moved from rescue to clean-up and repairs.
A Flood Inside a Drought
The storm hit a city that has been trying to save water for weeks. EPM, Empresas Públicas de Medellín, the city-owned utility, is asking households to cut use as its reservoirs run low ahead of El Niño, a Pacific warming pattern that brings drought to Colombia.
In its latest report on Friday 9 October, EPM said none of its three systems had met its savings target. Homes supplied by the Riogrande II reservoir saved 34 litres a day against a goal of 70, or 48.6%. That system serves Bello, Copacabana, Girardota and western and north-western Medellín.
Homes on the La Fe system saved 51 litres, or 72.9% of target. Piedras Blancas reached 82 of 92 litres, or 89.1%.
León Arturo Yepes, EPM’s acting head of water and sewerage, said the recent rain helped only a little. He warned that more interruptions are possible, or that existing ones could be extended, depending on savings. He cited the national weather agency Ideam, which sees a high chance that the coming El Niño will be the strongest in recent history.
What It Means for You
For visitors, most of Medellín is working normally, and the city says its main road network is running without major problems. The impact is local: hillside districts in the west and north-west, plus fallen trees in several neighbourhoods.
If you are staying in Robledo, San Javier or western rural areas, ask your host whether the building has water and whether tanks are full. Keep bottled water for a day or two. Stay away from creeks during rain, as the city advises, and call 123 in an emergency.
For remote workers and investors, the bigger story is water security. EPM has warned that cuts could widen and calls December and early 2027 the critical period, so long-stay renters should ask landlords about storage tanks.
Americans planning a trip can still go. New US routes are adding capacity, as in Frontier Starts Orlando to Colombia Flights 10 December.
What Is Not Known
The city has not said when water will return to all 38,148 homes or how long repairs at the San Cristóbal intake will take.
The damage in the cut-off part of Blanquizal was still being checked on Saturday, and the figure of about 70 homes is preliminary. The cost of the damage has not been published.
EPM has not said whether the storm damage will change its rationing plan for the long weekend.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people were affected by the Medellín floods?
The city says 228 families, or 596 people, have received aid or are being registered. 214 homes were flooded, 195 of them at La Iguaná, and 38,148 homes lost running water.
Why are so many homes in Medellín without water?
The intake of the San Cristóbal treatment plant collapsed during the storm, and power damage stopped pumping at the Cucaracho and Aures stations. Tanker trucks are supplying the affected areas.
Is it safe to travel to Medellín this weekend?
The city says the main road network is running without major problems. Visitors should check water supply with their host, avoid creeks during rain and call 123 in an emergency.
Sources: El Colombiano (official balance) · Telemedellín · Telemedellín (Los Búcaros) · Telemedellín (123 calls) · Telemedellín (EPM savings) · El Colombiano (EPM rationing)
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief