Flooding triggered by torrential rains, hail and strong winds struck Peru’s Amazonian department of Junín earlier this week, leaving 5 injured and over 70 damaged homes, the regional civil defense coordinator said.
Adolfo Prialé blamed the damage and injuries from Tuesday’s storm on climate change, telling state news agency Andina that rain levels are abnormally high and temperatures in Junín were registered lower than the long-term average.
Nature’s fury took a toll on the city of La Merced, where roofs were blown away, electric posts toppled and many homes, schools, and streets flooded.
Approximately 70 homes, located mainly in La Merced’s “Mario la Rosa” shantytown, were partially destroyed or damaged by the rain and winds that lastest for over an hour.
Those injured, including two elderly women, were inside buildings when roofs collapsed. The injured victims were transported to a local hospital.
The winds were blowing at speeds registered between 7 and 10 kilometers or 4 and 6 miles per second, said Eusebio Sánchez, a meteorologist from Peru’s National Meteorology and Hydrology Institute, or Senamhi.
Heavy rain also hit Peru’s northern departmnent of Cajamarca, where several homes were also damaged, but no injuries were reported.
