Peru Minister cancels US trip due to early El Niño rain alerts

Peru's Minister of Agrarian Development and Irrigation, Marco Vinelli, has canceled his planned trip to the United States to remain in the country following weather alerts for imminent heavy rains in the north. Vinelli noted that the arrival of rainfall in regions such as Tumbes suggests that the 'El Niño' phenomenon may be arriving earlier than the originally projected December timeframe.

To prepare for potential flooding and avalanches, the government has mobilized heavy machinery, motor pumps, and hydrojets to the Tumbes region. In Piura, cleaning and clearing operations are underway in riverbeds, with officials reporting 58% progress on the most vulnerable five-kilometer urban stretch.

Official estimates suggest the phenomenon could cause national production losses and damages totaling up to 16,000 million soles. While funds have been allocated to address the climate issue, reports indicate that approximately 54.7 percent of the 5,651 million soles assigned for these efforts has been spent to date.