According to Abramovitz, in 1999 around 30 000 people died and $ 2 million in damages were reported

in a densely urbanized zone in the Venezuela Caribbean, after 15 million cubic meters of sludge
wreckage fell down. During two weeks of heavy La Nina rains, the land became saturated and then was
removed by the 2 days rain, which was equivalent to two years of rain. The inundations and landslides,
frequent in this area, revealed through the destruction the hazards of constructions in places like these
as well as an insufficient planning and response.

Enrique Vera