Peru placed 1,380 districts under a two-month emergency over risks from El Niño-related heavy rain, covering every planned stop on Pope Leo XIV’s northern visit, MercoPress reported.
The designated areas make up about 73% of the country’s 1,891 districts and span all 24 departments and the province of Callao, the outlet said. The order gives regional and municipal authorities latitude to work with the National Civil Defence Institute on prevention, response and rehabilitation.
Floodwaters affected 324 people in Tumbes after reaching homes and local roads; Chulucanas, in Piura region, also saw flooding, according to MercoPress. President Keiko Fujimori canceled a trip to the Ibero-American Summit in Madrid to supervise the response. She warned that more rain could affect Tumbes and Piura on Saturday, Nov. 7, and Sunday, Nov. 8, the outlet reported.
MercoPress placed the emergency against Lambayeque’s history of destructive flooding during the 1982-1983 and 1997-1998 El Niño events. The outlet also noted that Chiclayo lacks a comprehensive system for draining floodwater. Peru’s scientific commission on El Niño expects the current episode to continue through June 2027, the report said.
In Chiclayo, Grinia Ávalos, director of meteorology at Peru’s National Meteorology and Hydrology Service, said rain could occur during the pope’s visit but was not expected to be heavy there. Ávalos forecast Chiclayo temperatures of up to 32 degrees Celsius, four to five degrees above normal, according to MercoPress. For Lambayeque, regional visit coordinator Jorge Chávez Cresta said forecast scenarios pointed to heavy rain arriving after the pope had left Peru. He said contingency arrangements were in place.
Pope Leo XIV’s northern Peru itinerary begins Friday, Nov. 13. Organizers expect nearly 1 million people at a Mass at Pampas de Pimentel; the schedule also includes a Mass in Santa Cruz de Succhabamba on Nov. 14 and a visit to Zaña, MercoPress reported.
