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The Vargas state after the 1999 Tragedy

The 1999 Vargas mudslide is a disaster that struck the Vargas State of Venezuela in December 1999. The torrential rains and mudslides that followed on December 14 through 16 killed tens of thousands of people, and destroyed thousands of homes. According to relief workers, the town of Los Corales was buried under three meters of mud^{[citation needed]}.

The coastal area of Vargas has long been subject to mudslides and flooding; geologic records and Spanish histories show similar catastrophes occurring with regularity. The most recent major flood was in 1951, however that event did not cause as much damage ^[1]. The unusually strong storm in December 1999 dumped 911 millimeters of rain over just a few days, triggering soil instability and flow of debris^[2]. The state experienced population growth and development since the previous major disaster in 1951, increasing the humanitarian toll.

The disaster was of such magnitude that the president of the Red Cross initially presumed more than 50,000 dead. The first focus of the responders was to evacuate survivors; more than 100,000 people were ultimately evacuated^[2]. After the disater, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez advocated for other Venezuelans to open up their homes, and "adopt a family". He also housed children that were feared orphaned in the Presidential residence^{[citation needed]}. It is also notable that he refused the help of United States soldiers in handling the emergency situation, even though the arrangements had been thoroughly made.

Major League Baseball shortstop Omar Vizquel, a native Venezuelan, helped raise over $500,000 in relief funds.

After the initial emergency response, focus shifted to analyzing the causes of the disaster, and working to create a sustainable infrastructure for dealing with future torrential rains.

The disaster cost USD $1.79 to $3.5 billion ^[1][2]. The number of dead is considered to be between 10,000^[3] and 30,000^[1] — the exact number of casualties is difficult to tell as only 1,000 bodies were recovered, with the rest swept to sea by the mud or buried in the landslides^[1]. More that 8,000 homes were destroyed, displacing up to 75,000 people^[2]. The mudslides significantly altered more than 40 kilometers of the coastline in Vargas. Over 70% of the population of the state was affected by the disaster.

As of 2006, the state is back to its pre-disaster population level, and infrastructure projects have been carried out to help mitigate these disasters^[3]. Hundreds of people remain homeless 8 years from the tragedy.

• CNN Article on Disaster from December 21, 1999
• Photos of the aftermath

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Debris-flow and flooding hazards associated with the December 1999 storm in coastal Venezuela and strategies for mitigation, by Wieczorek, G.F., Larsen, M.C., Eaton, L.S., Morgan, B.A. and Blair, J. L. of the U.S. Geological Survey
2. ^ ^{a b c d} Retrospective on the disaster (in Spanish)
3. ^ ^{a b} Venezuela's Vargas Disaster Hard to Forget, by Yensi Rivero for Tierramérica