Devastating floods in Peru have killed over 100 people and thousands more have been forced to evacuate their homes as the worst rain to hit the country in two decades continues.
Torrential rain has caused catastrophic floods and landslides, sweeping away homes and vehicles as rivers burst their banks and roads collapsed off hillsides. Peru’s authorities are now reporting that almost a million people have been affected with 211,000 homes damaged and 54,000 hectares of farmland affected.
The disaster is reported to have hit 24 out of 25 districts in the country.
Catholic aid agency, Caritas Peru, is coordinating aid efforts across eight dioceses in areas where a state of emergency has been declared, delivering funds and supplies. With as many as 258 bridges and 6000 km of highways damaged by the torrential rain, Caritas is said to be delivering aid via helicopters and boats in order to reach affected populations.
The country’s bishops have expressed their solidarity with those affected by the floods and called on all Peruvians to give material assistance to those in need, in a statement that urges: “Our efforts must be great because this disaster is so great.”
“I pray for the victims” of the flooding, the Pope said last week, “and for those who are committed to providing relief.”
The disaster – which follows a period of severe drought – has been blamed on abnormally high temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, and fuelled criticism that the country is ill-prepared for the growing challenges of climate change.
“We are confronting a serious climatic problem,” said Peru’s president, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, in a public broadcast on 17 March. “There hasn’t been an incident of this strength along the coast of Peru since 1998.”
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