Peru declares state of emergency ahead of El Niño rains

Peru's government declared a ​state of emergency in 796 districts —about ‌40% of the country's total— citing imminent danger from heavy rains associated with El Niño weather ​phenomenon, according to a government decree ​published Thursday.

The 60-day measure enables the government to ⁠carry out extraordinary measures and actions ​to reduce the "very high" risk the ​districts are facing.

The emergency, established by a decree singed by outgoing president Jose Maria ​Balcazar, spans regions including Lima, Cusco ​or Arequipa.

Regional and local governments will implement ‌the ⁠emergency measures in coordination with national authorities, the decree stated.

The measures implemented during the state of emergency will ​be financed ​from existing ⁠institutional budgets of the agencies involved, without requiring additional resources ​from the public treasury.

El ​Niño ⁠is a periodic warming of Pacific Ocean surface temperatures that disrupts global weather ⁠patterns, ​often bringing drought to ​some crop-producing regions and heavier rains to others.


-Reuters