Government to provide ‘recovery bonuses’ to El Niño victims, declares national emergency

The National Emergency Operations Committee (COE) said Tuesday that the government will provide financial assistance to those suffering damage from El Niño floods. Infrastructure Minister Roberto Luque said the amounts of the “recovery bonuses” will be decided later this week when damage assessments are completed.

Some communities in Guayas Province have been endured weeks of El Niño flooding.

At the meeting in Samborondón, the National Risk Management Secretariat declared a red alert emergency for the entire country. The declaration allows government agencies to expedite recovery missions, bypassing regulations in some cases. “We need to get relief to the people as quickly as possible and don’t have time to wait for the bureaucratic processes,” Luque said.

Among the emergency operations underway is the release of supplies, including mattresses, tools and other basic necessities from customs warehouses in Guayaquil. The COE ordered the National Customs Service to provide a full inventory of its warehouses within 48 hours so goods can be distributed to the affected areas.

In its report to the COE, Risk Management said that 11 people have died and more than 48,000 others have been seriously affected by El Niño floods and landslides. “Between August 28, 2026 and November 3 the country has recorded 1,086 adverse events due to flooding and related damage in coastal and low-lying regions,” Risk Management said.

Deaths have been reported the Galapagos (2), El Oro (3), Guayas (2), Pichincha (1) and Azuay Provinces (4). The Azuay deaths were the result of landslides in the Camilo Ponce Enríquez canton.

Risk Management reported that:11,449 homes have been severely damaged with 38 totally destroyed; 32 bridges and 25 kilometers of roadway have been destroyed; 90 hospitals and health clinics have been damaged; and seven schools have closed due to flood damage.

It added that 5,247 hectares of crops have been destroyed while several hundred farm animals have died due to flooding.

In its report to the COE, National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (Inamhi) reported the current El Niño is the most intense on record and that the 5-degree temperature rise of the Pacific Ocean was “creating unprecedented amounts of moisture in the atmosphere,” leading to the flooding rains. Inamhi said that historic amounts of rainfall have been recorded in Guayaquil, Esmeraldas, Manta and other locations on the coast since early September.

The bad news, Inamhi said in its report, is that the flooding rains could continue, possibly into February 2027.

Responding to a reporter’s question following the COE meeting, Luque said the $600 million set aside for El Niño relief by the government is not enough. “By the time this is over, I expect that we will spend much, much more,” he said.