Several cities in Peru are underwater, and the 'coastal El Nio' isn't done yet
Several cities in Peru are underwater, and the 'coastal El Niño' isn't done yet
PRI's The World
March 21, 2017 · 6:15 PM EDT
By Simeon Tegel
Peru is expected to experience another two weeks of highly unusual torrential rains, which have already caused devastating floods along large swaths of its arid coast, destroying homes and crops and killing an estimated 75 people.
The precipitation has been caused by what scientists call a “coastal El Niño,” a localized version of the hemispherewide condition. Unusually warm waters just off the Andean nation’s Pacific shore — up to 50 degrees warmer than normal — have triggered the rains in the world’s second-highest mountain range.
The extreme runoff has, in turn, caused devastating problems, above all in Peru’s northern regions, particularly Piura, near the frontier with Ecuador. Downtown areas of several cities, including Piura, and Trujillo, which is Peru’s second-largest urban center, have been underwater for days now.
Meanwhile, up to half a million people have been severely affected. They include some of Peru’s poorest, who made the fatal mistake of squatting on land beside gulches and canyons that open from the Andes onto the coastal plane.
More:
https://www.pri.org/stories/2017-03-21/several-cities-peru-are-underwater-and-coastal-el-ni-o-isnt-done-yet
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