Heavy rains trigger emergency declaration on Ecuador’s Santa Cruz Island

Ecuador declared a state of emergency on Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos Islands on Saturday following heavy rainfall, according to statements published by local authorities on US social media company X.

The Government Council of Galapagos said it had deployed heavy machinery and trucks to the island to support evacuation and assistance efforts in coordination with the Cantonal Emergency Operations Committee (COE).

Carolina Lozano, Ecuador's secretary for risk management, said authorities had carried out evacuation and rescue operations and established two temporary shelters with a combined capacity of 500 people, according to a post on her X account.

Lozano also said the government was assessing the needs of affected families and preparing to send 1,000 humanitarian assistance kits to the island.

She added that she had requested the immediate convening of the Provincial Emergency Operations Committee to coordinate the assessment of damage and determine the number of people affected.

The heavy rainfall prompted authorities to activate emergency response protocols involving the Government Council of Galapagos and the Santa Cruz Fire Department to assess damage and coordinate assistance.

The Government Council of Galapagos said heavy machinery and trucks would remain deployed on the island to support affected families and evacuation operations.

Authorities continued assessing affected areas and coordinating rescue, evacuation and humanitarian assistance efforts.