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Peru

Dozens freeze to death in freak Peru cold snap

Written by Mason Anderson, DisasterRelief.org
Governments and relief agencies from around the world are rushing blankets, food and heavy clothing to southern Peru after a freak cold snap killed at least 59 people and left thousands of others freezing in icy temperatures believed to have been caused by an El Nino weather phenomenon.

On July 3, a cold wave moved across the southern departments of Peru, blanketing the region in snow some three feet deep and plunging temperatures to as low as minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit, a rare occurrence even during the Southern Hemisphere's winter season, which runs from May to October.

At least 59 people in low-lying regions unable to deal with the bitter cold have died and more than 70,000 others have been affected. The majority of deaths have been vulnerable children under the age of five suffering from pneumonia.

The icy weather has also put millions of animals critical to the livelihoods of residents at risk. Officials estimate that already some 8,000 animals have died from exposure to the cold, including llamas, alpacas and vicunas that provide the wool residents spin into high-quality cloth and sell.

Damages to homes by blizzards that whipped across the region were extensive, with some 14,000 incurring damages and nearly 200 others destroyed. The worst hit provinces, or departments, were Moquegua and Arequipa, and the popular tourist departments Tacna and Puno.

After touring the affected regions Saturday (July 14), President Alejandro Toledo declared southern Peru a state of emergency. Government military planes and helicopters delivered blankets, food, tents and clothing to several remote regions but, due to limited resources, Toledo issued an international appeal for supplies.

The Government of Japan donated more than $111,000 worth of tents and blankets to support the effort while medical personnel from the Ministry of Health are providing assistance to those suffering from respiratory diseases such as pneumonia and bronchitis.

Experts believe weather fluctuations in Peru are indicative of the arrival of a new El Nino, an abnormal warming of waters in the eastern pacific that distorts weather patterns.

In addition to the recent drastic drop in temperature, weather officials cited the heavy rains in Lima - a strange occurrence considering Lima is located on Peru's desert Pacific coast.

This is not the first time Peru has weathered the effects of El Nino. Extensive flooding caused by the 1997-1998 weather phenomenon killed some 200 Peruvians, left more than 250,000 homeless and caused nearly $3.5 billion worth of damages.

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