Severe Flooding in Peru

“Highly unusual rains have followed a series of storms along Peru’s northern coast after a period of severe drought… The rains have caused many rivers in Peru to overflow and triggered mudslides on the steep Andean hillsides” (Deutsche Welle, March 20, 2017). To date, over 70 Peruvians have lost their lives and nearly 100,000 have lost everything! Over 600,000 people have suffered damage to their homes. “The vast majority of people affected by the extreme weather are poor, including many who built makeshift homes on floodplains that had been dry for 20 years… ‘There’s no electricity, no drinking water... no transit because streets are flooded,’” noted one local mayor (Reuters, March 20, 2017). More rain is forecast for Peru in the very near future.

Such circumstances should remind us that the Bible reveals that catastrophic weather events will increase in frequency and severity as we approach the end of the age (Isaiah 29:6; Matthew 24:3-8; Luke 21:10-11). As we see individuals and families suffer in such calamities, real Christians should be moved to cry out to God for His Kingdom to come (Matthew 6:10). Sadly, before Christ does return to this earth and bring everlasting peace to a desperate world, much more suffering will occur. The Bible actually reveals who or what is behind coming weather events, and why these tragic events will happen. For more answers, be sure to read or listen to Who Controls the Weather?