Peru Declares State of Emergency After Floods and Landslides Caused by Heavy Rains

On Wednesday, the Peruvian government declared a state of emergency for over 700 districts across the country, responding to extreme rainfall that has caused floods and landslides for months. The decree, signed by interim President José María Balcázar, covers areas along the Pacific coast, in the Andes, and in the Peruvian part of the Amazon. According to official data, 68 people have died since December as a result of the disaster, and about 930 kilometers of roads have been destroyed. The state of emergency is intended to enable the rapid transfer of funds to local and regional authorities to secure critical infrastructure and protect the lives and health of residents. New Prime Minister Denisse Miralles, who took office on Tuesday, in her first briefing described the situation as the government's top priority, stating: „"We need to act with urgency in the face of the emergency caused by El Niño. This is our number one priority."” — Denisse Miralles The declaration of the state of emergency was delayed due to political instability in the country. Balcázar assumed office after his predecessor, José Jerí, was removed in a vote of no confidence on February 17 over corruption allegations. For over a week, the country operated without an appointed government, preventing the earlier announcement of the decree. It was only on Tuesday that the president swore in a new cabinet, with the surprising choice of Miralles as prime minister, despite earlier announcements of a different candidate. El Niño is a climate phenomenon occurring in the equatorial Pacific, characterized by periodic warming of ocean waters, which significantly affects weather patterns worldwide. First recorded by Peruvian fishermen in the 19th century, it is named after the Spanish term for the Christ Child, as its effects are often most strongly felt around Christmas. Its local, coastal variant, Coastal El Niño, particularly affects Peru, leading to historic disasters like the massive floods in 2017.According to meteorologists, it is precisely the Coastal El Niño phenomenon that is responsible for the current intense rainfall, which has not ceased for several weeks. state of emergency is intended to facilitate the coordination of rescue operations and the reconstruction of damage. The government estimates that the country is currently in the "early phase" of this weather pattern, and forecasts indicate it may intensify in March and persist even until November of this year. 930 km — damaged roads across Peru Local authorities in areas under the state of emergency have been ordered to evacuate residents from particularly at-risk zones, especially in river valleys and on mountain slopes. Schools and public buildings have been converted into temporary shelters. Rescue services and the military are conducting search and rescue operations in areas where landslides have occurred, and are delivering humanitarian aid to communities cut off from the outside world. The Ministry of Transport and Communications reported that the priority is to restore traffic on main communication routes to enable the transport of aid.