Peru launches fundraising campaign for flood victims

By Rachel Lee

The Peruvian Embassy in Seoul has launched a fundraising campaign to help people of the South American country devastated by catastrophic flooding in January.

Peruvian Ambassador Jamie Pomareda opened an account at KEB Hana Bank, asking Koreans to give “generous and humanitarian donations,” which will be used to help victims of El Nino Costero, the embassy said Thursday.

At least 90 people have died and more than 122,000 have been left homeless as Peru’s rainy season has delivered 10 times more rainfall than usual. It also left more than 4,000 km of highways, 5,000 km of rural roads, and more than 200 bridges destroyed.

“This is one of the worst disasters that has ever stroked the north of Peru,” an embassy spokesman said.

According to the embassy, the Peruvian government has increased its budget by $764 million (850 billion won) for its reconstruction plan with priority set to save lives, clear roads, rescue people and contain the advance of rivers.

The embassy also named Piura, Lambayeque and La Libertad as the most affected areas, adding that the main tourist attraction areas in Peru have not been affected, including Cuzco, Machu Picchu, the Nazca Lines, Arequipa, Colca Canyon and the Amazon.

El Nino Costero is a sea warming phenomenon that takes place off the Peruvian coast, generating an exponential increase of water evaporation and dark clouds.