- These two kids live near Upis in southern Peru, where children are dying of extreme cold brought on by climate change. More deaths are predicted for August, typically the coldest month of the year in the high Andes (photo c. Barbara Drake 2008)
Peru is finally acknowledging that the humanitarian crisis caused by extreme cold in the Andes isn’t going away; the problem is getting worse.
A state of emergency declared by the Peruvian government in July has been extended two additional months in 21 Andean regions, reported Isabel Guerra yesterday in Living in Peru:
The Peruvian government extended today for another 60 days the state of emergency in 21 regions, due to the extreme cold temperatures, according to the Decree 052-2009-PCM.
The extension is intended to allow more time for the help sent by the different Peruvian Ministries to arrive to the most affected areas.
The regions (called “departments” in Peru) currently declared in state of emergency are: Amazonas, Ancash, Apurímac, Arequipa, Ayacucho, Cajamarca, Cusco, Huancavelica, Huánuco, Junín, La Libertad, Lambayeque, Lima, Loreto, Madre de Dios, Moquegua, Pasco, Piura, Puno, Tacna y Ucayali.
Read the complete article here.
More than 433 people in the southern Peruvian Andes have died of respiratory ailments brought on by extreme cold temperatures. Most of the victims are children under 5.
Until recently, the Peruvian government has downplayed the seriousness of the medical emergency, focusing its health concerns on the H1N1 pandemic.
As of August 5, 34 people had died of H1N1 in Peru, compared to more than 433 cold deaths in the highlands. Cold-induced deaths are more than 12 times those of swine flu cases. If that isn’t a medical emergency, I don’t know what is.
Time to bring in medical personnel and set up emergency medical centers in the highlands, like this religious aid group did in Puno in July.
Virginia-based charity Operation Blessings established first-aid posts in four districts of Puno and brought in donated nebulizers, oxygen tanks and other equipment to treat 6,000 people for acute respiratory infections and other illnesses in July.
The effort lasted only one week, sadly. Time for other emergency aid groups to get on board and get doctors and equipment up to the highlands now.
August is the coldest month in the Andes. Every day that goes by without immediate intervention means more dead children.
Related posts:
- 250 Children Dead of Cold in Andes: Death Toll Keeps Climbing A rescue worker (NOT with the Red Cross) helps a...
- Deadly Negligence: Peru’s Red Cross & Cold Deaths in Andes At last count (mid August), 514 Peruvians had died of...
- Citizen Journalists Respond to Cold Deaths in Andes These are the things I think of when I read...
- Sisters from Pucarumi — claimed by deadly cold spell? A girl in Pucarumi carries her little sister on...
- Needless Deaths in the Andes A front-page article in Sunday’s El Comercio exposed the criminal indifference of...
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8 responses so far ↓
1 Combitos guerra al frío » // Aug 8, 2009 at 1:14 pm
[...] Crisis humanitaria en el Perú Aquí, en inglés, American in Lima. El estado de emergencia por el friaje se extiende a 21 regiones del Perú. El gobierno peruano [...]
2 Rachel // Aug 9, 2009 at 10:12 pm
Terribly sad that the people of these regions face a deadly winter every year.
My question is, exactly what purpose does a “State of Emergency” in Peru constitute in terms of humanitarian aide and government funds?
3 Barb // Aug 10, 2009 at 11:20 am
My question exactly, Rachel.
In the US, when a state’s governor declares an emergency and the feds back it, you get FEMA and Red Cross attention immediately, plus national guard protection in areas where things have become chaotic or dangerous.
I don’t know what prompts Peru’s Defensa Civil to spring into action or what kind of funding they have. Peru’s Red Cross is a thorn in the side of the country. It REFUSED international aid for the people of Puno (in its bulletin of august 4), stating the situtation there was not an emergency. I will write more about this in a blog post.
4 Daniel // Aug 11, 2009 at 8:48 am
I feel this problem relies more on cultural issues than aid since people who need the most help and who go through this problem every year are Aymaran Indians, which are an equivalent to Native Americans in the US
5 Cold Spaghetti » Blog Archive » Just Posts: August 2009 // Sep 9, 2009 at 10:58 am
[...] Barbara at An American in Lima with: Government extends State of Emergency; more children to die [...]
6 The August Just Posts « collecting tokens // Sep 9, 2009 at 11:34 am
[...] Barbara at An American in Lima with: Government extends State of Emergency; more children to die [...]
7 Best of the 2009 Just Posts: The Semifinalists « collecting tokens // Feb 27, 2010 at 9:56 pm
[...] Government extends State of Emergency; more children to die by Barbara at An American in Lima [...]
8 Cold Spaghetti :: The Best of the Just Posts for 2009: Semi-finalists! // Feb 27, 2010 at 10:56 pm
[...] Government extends State of Emergency; more children to die by Barbara at An American in Lima [...]
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