Thousands of subsistence farmers in Bolivia's extreme south are facing serious food shortages after weeks of heavy rains caused floods and landslides that left them homeless and swept away their crops and farm animals. Before the rains, the area suffered a period of severe drought that reduced crops and livestock. The flooding occurred along the Bermejo and Grande rivers in the province of Tarija. The Bolivian Red Cross (BRC) with 70 local branch volunteers immediately provided first aid to families in temporary shelters and took part in the evaluation of

LIMA, March 16 (AFP) - Homes along the Rimac River in downtown Lima were among the tens of thousands at risk in Peru, Argentina and Bolivia as floodwaters demolished crops and flowed over roads throughout the region, officials said Thursday.

"The river is climbing out of its banks -- the situation is really critical," said Lima emergency worker Fernando Trelles of the rising Rimac, which city records say can only hold a flow of 120 cubic meters (4200 cubic feet) per second, an already dangerous level likely to be reached by month's end.

With 30,000 homes threatened in Peru,