The authorities of Peru have issued a serious warning regarding the advance of the phenomenon 'El Niño', anticipating "a terrible situation" based on the latest projections, which outline a scenario "beyond any expectation." For this reason, they have "implored" communities in vulnerable areas to leave their homes preventively.
According to official agencies, 'El Niño' is already active in the country and climate models indicate rainfall significantly above normal in the northern and central coast, as well as in the northeastern highlands. In contrast, the southern strip is expected to experience precipitation below normal levels, with the consequent risk of drought.
"We are really facing a terrible situation and it must be said loud and clear to the population," warned the Minister of Health, Luis Dyer, in statements to Panamericana Televisión. The health official emphasized that they are facing a climate episode unprecedented in the last fifty years.
Dyer detailed that, "scientifically speaking," it is a phenomenon without parallel in the recent history of the country. "It will be beyond any effort we are going to make as a Government," he pointed out, admitting that the institutional response capacity could be overwhelmed.
The forecasts referred to by the minister indicate that the impact of 'El Niño' this year will exceed the effects recorded in the events of 1982, 1997, and 2016. "It is beyond any expectation we could have," he insisted, emphasizing the magnitude of the episode that is approaching.
In light of this situation, Dyer has urged exposed populations to strictly follow the instructions of Civil Defense and move to one of the more than 30,000 shelters that have been prepared to receive people displaced by the emergency.
"I continue to implore those people who have to leave there, we are not making a kind of strategy of fear and dread, but it is the scientific reality," the minister reiterated, warning of possible extreme heat strokes, severe damage to crops, homes, and infrastructure, as well as the risk of collapse in the country's hospitals.