Peru - IOM has joined the UN Evaluation and Disaster Coordination (UNDAC) team, in support of the Government of Peru, to assess the emergency caused by heavy rains, and mud- and landslides in several regions of the country.

The heavy rains that began in January 2017 have caused severe flooding in communities and urban areas across the country with several locations devastated by mudslides and falling rocks. This has left 124,000 people affected and 97 fatalities to date, according to the Government.

Twenty-four of Peru’s 25 departments have been affected and a state of emergency has been declared by the Government in 11 departments and one constitutional province.

The north coast of the country is the most affected area, particularly the departments of Piura, Lambayeque, La Libertad and some districts of the capital, Lima. Other departments such as Ancash, Ica, Arequipa, Huancavelica, Cajamarca and Tumbes have also been affected. According to the National Civil Defense Institute (INDECI – its Spanish acronym), nearly 29,000 houses have collapsed or are uninhabitable. It is estimated that nearly 1,700 families are currently in temporary settlements.

The UNDAC team, composed of 10 international experts in emergencies including the IOM staff, is supporting the Government in coordination and information management issues.

“IOM, as part of the National Humanitarian Network, led by the INDECI and the UN System in Peru, is providing technical assistance, through its global lead on the Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM), in order to have a clear view of the needs of the affected population,” said Jose Ivan Dávalos, IOM Peru Chief of Mission.

Maria del Carmen Sacasa, UN Resident Coordinator in Peru, explained that, in less than 24 hours, the UN had mobilized international experts from different parts of the world to strengthen the response capacity in the field. Sacasa stressed that all the UN Agencies, Funds and Programs in Peru are working together as “one force”.

The results of the UNDAC assessment, expected this week, will enable the level of needs and damages to be determined as well as the priority sectors for humanitarian assistance.

For further information, please contact Inés Calderón at IOM Peru, Tel: +51 1 633 0000, Email: icalderon@iom.int