KIDWCKED
07-30-2010, 12:24 AM
c/p from the weather network.
Rayna Taylor, staff writer
July 27, 2010 — A wave of frigid weather continued to devastate much of Peru Monday, as effects of La Niña were being felt throughout the country.
Emergency workers handing out supplies
Temperatures plummeted to below -20°C prompting the government to declare a state of emergency for nearly half of the country Friday.
More than 400 people have died from weather-related deaths, and hundreds of thousands of alpaca herds stand to be endangered by the frigid temperatures. Officials say the population could lose a significant number of the valuable animals, which provide a livelihood for many Peruvian families. Herders say that smaller animals are at greater risk, but all are in danger of developing respiratory infections that have already killed some of the herds.
Kids playing in the snow on the Peruvian coast
Health centres in the affected regions are experiencing an influx of patients who are sick as a result of the conditions.
“The cold weather over the past few days has really increased the quantity of patients with acute respiratory illnesses. We are immediately treating the children but patients of all ages are coming, from children to older adults,”said Silvia Velasquez, a nurse at the Laraqeri Health Center on the Peruvian coast.
Local governments have been allowed access to emergency funds and have started to distribute emergency food supplies to desperate residents. Officials say they are also handing out blankets and medications as well as stepping up vaccination programs.
The frigid temperatures are associated with the weather phenomenon known as La Niña, which is linked to the better known El Niño effect. Both are caused by the unusual warming of the Pacific Ocean near the equator.
With files from Reuters
Rayna Taylor, staff writer
July 27, 2010 — A wave of frigid weather continued to devastate much of Peru Monday, as effects of La Niña were being felt throughout the country.
Emergency workers handing out supplies
Temperatures plummeted to below -20°C prompting the government to declare a state of emergency for nearly half of the country Friday.
More than 400 people have died from weather-related deaths, and hundreds of thousands of alpaca herds stand to be endangered by the frigid temperatures. Officials say the population could lose a significant number of the valuable animals, which provide a livelihood for many Peruvian families. Herders say that smaller animals are at greater risk, but all are in danger of developing respiratory infections that have already killed some of the herds.
Kids playing in the snow on the Peruvian coast
Health centres in the affected regions are experiencing an influx of patients who are sick as a result of the conditions.
“The cold weather over the past few days has really increased the quantity of patients with acute respiratory illnesses. We are immediately treating the children but patients of all ages are coming, from children to older adults,”said Silvia Velasquez, a nurse at the Laraqeri Health Center on the Peruvian coast.
Local governments have been allowed access to emergency funds and have started to distribute emergency food supplies to desperate residents. Officials say they are also handing out blankets and medications as well as stepping up vaccination programs.
The frigid temperatures are associated with the weather phenomenon known as La Niña, which is linked to the better known El Niño effect. Both are caused by the unusual warming of the Pacific Ocean near the equator.
With files from Reuters