A state of emergency was declared in the Peru region of Madre de Dios after heavy rainfall on 27 January caused the Tambopata and Madre de Dios rivers to overflow.
Around 500 houses have been destroyed, 1,240 houses damaged and over 6,000 people affected in two provinces of Tambopata and Manú.
Puerto tambopata pic.twitter.com/wlqIElv5YL
— yhon contreras L (@YhonBill) January 28, 2014
The worst affected areas are the districts of Tambopata, Inambari, Las Piedras and Labyrinth in Tambopata province. In Manú province, the worst affected areas are the districts of Huepetuhe, Fitzcarrald and Manú.
Peru has suffered severe flooding since early January 2014 where Cusco was badly affected. Since then heavy rain has continued to fall, causing widespread flooding including in the department of Huancavelica. Peru’s neighbours, Ecuador and Bolivia, have also been badly affected by widespread flooding.
Further heavy rainfall is expected over the next few days, particularly across eastern Peru. Peru’s annual rainy season usually last until March.
Sources: El Comercio; Peru This Week; Ministerio de Salud Peru
