Flooding in the eastern province of Padre Abad, in Ucayali Department, has affected 1,500 homes and some 7,500 people after three days of heavy rains caused the overflow of the Aguaytía River.
Ucayali’s civil defense director, Federico Pezo, told daily El Comercio most of the damage is in the Miguel Grau and Barrio Unido districts located about 800 kilometers east of Lima. “The last time we suffered similar damage was seven-years-ago, but this time it seems like the situation is even worse,” said Pezo.
Padre Abad’s mayor, Tony Tang, told El Comercio that health centers, central plazas and government buildings have been flooded in the urban centers. The rains have also damaged the Federico Basadre highway, which connects the city of Aguaytía to Tingo María, in Huánuco Department. According to El Comercio, the “Chino Bridge” has collapsed and the “New Bridge” is unusable due to the rains.
Heavy rains have been causing widespread damage in Peru affecting some 45,000 people. The National Institute for Civil Defense, Indeci, said on Jan. 29 that storms have destroyed 245 kilometers of highway and 163 hectares of farm land. Indeci added that 13 people have died in the storms, with another 24 missing.
