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ACT Alert
Perú
- 01/04
Cold
Wave and Snowstorms in Perú
Geneva,
19 July, 2004
Intense cold
weather and snowstorms have caused extensive damage in the Andean
area of Perú. The most affected departments are Apurímac,
Arequipa, Ayacucho, Cusco, Moquegua, Puno, Huancavelica and Tacna.
This situation would normally have been considered a temporary emergency,
but most of the affected areas are the same as those that have been
affected by flooding and drought during the preceding months, thus
having a longer-term impact on the situation of the population. The
situation could worsen drastically as the coldest peaks of winter
usually occur around August/September.
The number of
people affected, according to the National Institute of Civil Defense
(INDECI), is 158,836. However, because of difficulties in accessing
the area due to bad road conditions and the altitude (4,000 meters
above sea level), these figures are provisional and it is feared that
the number will increase. The death toll has already reached 46. It
is estimated that around 3,082 houses have been destroyed and agriculture
has been severely affected - 300,000 hectares of food crops have been
destroyed and 347,000 hectares have been damaged. There have also
been important livestock losses - mostly in llama and alpaca herds
- which are the main food sources in the highland communities. The
number of reported dead livestock has risen from 38,000 to 114,218.
The inhabitants
of the affected areas are poor peasants surviving from their llamas
and alpacas herds and subsistence farming. They live in small groups
(30 to 150 houses) in very precarious conditions - their dwellings
are build of mud with thatched roofs.
ACT members in
Perú: DIAKONIA, Lutheran World Relief (LWR), Methodist Church
of Peru and PREDES report that they are assessing the situation
in their operational areas and will keep the ACT CO informed of any
necessary intervention.
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