Uruguay to allocate funds to deal with aftermath of disasters

Photo provided by Uruguay's Presidency shows Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez (2nd L) talking with a woman during his visit to the flooded zone in San Ramon, Canelones department, Uruguay, on April 20, 2016. Tabare Vazquez said on Wednesday that the government will redirect resources to face the floods affecting much of the country and for the tornado that hit the city of Dolores. [Photo/Xinhua/Uruguay's Presidency]

MONTEVIDEO - Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez said Wednesday that the government will allocate funds for relief efforts in flood-affected regions and a tornado-hit area in the country.

"We have to make a correct diagnosis, with seriousness and responsibility, attending to the population's most urgent needs," said Vazquez during his visit to the village of San Ramona, a flooded area in the southern department of Canelones.

The president said the government will ensure housing, security, food and health care for all those affected by the disasters.

The government will hold a special session with his ministers on Saturday to plan for a general infrastructure overhaul in flood-stricken areas, said the president.

Vazquez highlighted the Uruguayan people's solidarity in the face of this catastrophe, saying "there is an extraordinary response from the Uruguayan people" when the government called on them to fight the disasters.

The floods caused by heavy rains started last week around Uruguay and have affected nearly 10,800 people, while a tornado in the western city of Dolores on Friday took the lives of five people.