The Peruvian authorities made forecasts on Sunday (03.20.2023) due to the persistence of heavy rains that since last January have left 65 dead and thousands homeless and affected by floods and avalanches, especially in northern and central areas of the country.
The head of the National Institute of Civil Defense (Indeci), Carlos Yáñez, reported that the rainfall has so far caused the death of 65 people and left another 128 injured, five missing, 9,423 homeless and 65,000 affected.
Yáñez confirmed that Cyclone Yaku, which influenced the increase in rainfall and the declaration of a “red alert” in Lima, has already moved away from the Peruvian coast and does not represent a danger to the Andean country.
He said, however, that the warming of the sea continues and “will cause the rains to continue until May” next, and that the Multisectoral Commission in charge of the National Study of the El Niño Phenomenon (Enfen) “announced that if these conditions continue for three months it could declare himself the Coastal Child as such”.
This Sunday, the government declared a state of emergency in 121 districts of Ancash, Huancavelica, Ica and Lima, as well as in another 33 districts of Amazonas, Ayacucho, Pasco and Ucayali, with the aim of allowing the execution of “measures and actions that guarantee the protection of the population from the impact of heavy rains”.
However, the National Emergency Operations Center (COEN) reported that 573 districts on the north coast and highlands of the country are at risk of being affected by landslides, mudslides, or other types of mass movements.
For its part, the National Meteorology and Hydrology Service (Senamhi) forecast that this Monday there will be snow, hail, sleet and moderate to heavy rain on the north coast and highlands of the country.
The heavy rains that have been falling since the end of last year in Peru increased last week with the appearance about 500 kilometers from the Peruvian coast of Cyclone Yaku, which left at least eight dead in its wake in the north and center of the country, in addition to extensive material damage, according to official data.
Yáñez said that this Sunday and Monday the intensity of the rains will decrease and considered that this will be an “opportunity for the authorities to strengthen the preparation” of their localities given the forecast that they will increase again during the following days.
