Lima (EFE) Pacific Ocean, off the Peruvian coast.
The president of Peru, Dina Boluarte, announced in a televised message that “it goes from orange alert to red alert” in the Peruvian capital, a city nestled in the middle of the desert, which is not prepared to face medium-intensity rains and where it is not There has been significant rainfall since 1970.
Boluarte said that the measure includes the alert of the entire Civil Defense system and the personnel of the Armed Forces and the National Police, the suspension of school and university classes for 24 hours and remote work in State agencies and the recommendation for Do the same in private companies.
What are the measures?
The president remarked that among the measures will be to put specialized and rescue teams in attention to eventual floods and avalanches that may occur in the ravines of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, which cross the Peruvian capital.
The Armed Forces and the Police must also be deployed “to assist the affected population” and the Ministry of Health and regional health authorities must guarantee the “continuity of services at the national level.”
In addition, the Superintendence of Land Transportation of People, Cargo and Goods (Sutran) will have the support of the Police to go to all the land terminals in Lima “to urge citizens” to postpone their eventual trips.
Boluarte announced restricted access to the facilities of the Lima international airport, where only passengers with boarding passes will enter and “pertinent preventive measures” will be taken for security on Line 1 of the Lima Metro.
He indicated that the state-run Drinking Water and Sewerage Service of Lima (Sedapal) “will work with its regular service or, if necessary, it will activate 100% of reserve deposits.”
Coordination of authorities
The ruler ratified the “permanent coordination at the three levels of government” and asked the public to “remain calm but also alert” to the possible impact of the cyclone.
The Prime Minister, Alberto Otárola, added that “the measures that have been taken are to safeguard the integrity and life of all citizens in the sense of having the least number of people and vehicles for 24 hours in the Lima region and the Shut up”.
For his part, Defense Minister Jorge Chávez called on the authorities and the population living in the areas near the Rímac, Chillón and Lurín river basins to evacuate their homes and move to safe centers authorized by the municipalities and law enforcement.
Chávez reported that traffic on the Central Highway, which connects Lima with the center of the country, will also be interrupted to “guarantee the safety of the population.”
Lima under incessant rains
The rains began in Metropolitan Lima during the afternoon of this Tuesday, when overflows occurred and torrents were activated in districts such as Chosica, Chaclacayo and Punta Hermosa, while at night it began to rain in districts such as San Isidro, Miraflores, San Miguel and the historic center.
Rainfall has plagued northern Peru since last week and has caused the closure of dozens of highways and 26 coastal ports, in addition to leaving hundreds of houses flooded and rivers overflowing, according to official data.
Prime Minister Otárola reported that there are 23 transit points interrupted, 84 restricted, and 50 national roads affected by the rains and the landslides and floods that they have caused in recent days.