Natural Disasters

Major rains often bring severe flooding. Last month witnessed extreme flooding in Peru. Last Friday it was Colombia. As Deutsche Welle reported on April 2, “A total of 17 Mocoa districts have been affected. Many houses simply no longer exist: The people in them didn’t stand a chance. The ground literally gave way beneath their feet, washed away by the sudden, unexpected flood.

“Australia is surveying the devastation wrought by Cyclone Debbie, which has flooded vast tracts ‘almost the size of Texas’ and left at least three dead” (BBC, April 2, 2017). The aftermath and flooding, as well as the current crop destruction, is estimated to reach AU $1 billion. Tens of thousands have been forced to evacuate their homes, thousands are still without power, and this week, as rivers crest, areas of central Queensland could suffer the worst flooding in 60 years (ibid.).

“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.