Peru's president warns of severe El Niño impacts and orders evacuations

At a press briefing, President Keiko Fujimori warned that the El Niño climate event will have dramatic consequences across Peru and called on people living in high-risk areas to evacuate. Experts say this year's warming of the tropical Pacific could be the strongest on record, altering weather patterns nationwide. To mitigate landslide danger, geogrid barriers have been installed in a hazardous gorge near Lima to stop hundreds of tons of rock from sliding down.

In the north, where the phenomenon typically brings the heaviest rains, temporary medical facilities have been erected. The government has raised the budget allocated for emergency management and stressed that protecting lives is the top priority, while also preparing for extensive damage to roads, bridges and other infrastructure. Around 800 coastal towns have already been placed under emergency status in anticipation of upcoming tropical storms.