“This is not an emergency, this is a disaster,” Correa said on his weekly radio program. “We don’t have enough resources to help all the victims.”

Rains and swollen rivers have caused flooding in 13 of the country’s 24 provinces, destroying homes, crops and infrastructure and costing the economy US$200 million (euro135 million), Correa said. At least 300,000 people have been affected, including 20,000 evacuated from their homes since the storms began in mid-January, Civil Defense officials said. Agriculture Minister Walter Poveda warned Saturday of possible rice shortages, as rising waters have destroyed 110,000 hectares (271,800 acres) of crops, including rice, coffee, corn, banana, cacao and sugar cane.

Correa declared a national emergency last Wednesday, deploying 2,200 soldiers to assist aid efforts in affected regions. He has offered to refinance debts held by devastated farmers and send seed and fertilizer to help them replant.

Argentina, Japan, Spain, the United States and Venezuela have sent aid, and more is expected to arrive from Chile, Israel, Korea and Peru, Security Minister Gustavo Larrea told the radio program Saturday.

The rains are predicted to ease in coming days, Ecuador’s Naval Oceanography Institute said.

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