Uruguay floods have left 24,000 persons homeless after heavy rains poured down in the country.

A report coming from Uruguay's Sinae or National Emergency System revealed that the number of residents from four provinces located on the west coast area has risen. Out of the 23,571 displaced individuals, 21,249 voluntarily left their homes using their own capacity while 2,322 were evacuated with the help of the government. 6,708 were from Paysandu, 11,002 from the province of Artigas, 5,804 in Salto and 57 in Rio Negro province.

The flooding in Uruguay was the result of massive downpours of rain that caused the Uruguay River, particularly its Cuareim tributary that courses through the northern Artigas, to overflow.

Fox News Latino reported that last Dec. 23, the Cuareim River whose safety level is at 33 1/2 feet (10.2 meters) came to 50 feet (15.28 meters), its highest level. As of present time, the river has stabilized and lowered below that height.

Furthermore, the level of the water from the Uruguay River that runs through Salto where the current rose to 43 2/3 feet (13.32 meters) has subsided. The safety level is at 33 1/3 feet (12 meters). Same as in Paysandu where safety level is at 18 feet (5.5 meters), the water level has stabilized and is now at a height of 30 feet (9.1 meters).

According to Latin American Herald Tribune, those affected by the Uruguay floods have been assisted by emergency management services and evacuated in temporary shelters. Other homeless individuals were either lodged at makeshift campsites or staying in private residences.

In the meantime, evacuees were provided with personal hygiene and healthcare goods as well as other needed items. The provincial authorities and several NGOs assisted Uruguay's Sinae in taking care of the displaced residents.

The Sinae has stated that it will continue to monitor the situation and to arrange for the return of the residents to the city of Artigas. However, it gave out a warning for those who will go back to their homes once the Uruguay River water levels become normal that returning to their abode can only be accomplished without danger after the "cleaning and disinfection of the affected areas have been carried out." Other factors that place the well-being of the population at peril are “the excessive demands on the healthcare system and the presence of bacteria."

Meanwhile, in a report by International Business Times, the heavy rains that poured down that caused the Uruguay floods as wells as in Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina were caused by the El Niño weather phenomenon.

Paraguay's national emergencies office stated that the "worst flooding in 50 years" that affected the South American countries was "directly influenced by the El Niño phenomenon which has intensified the frequency and intensity of rains."