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Peru

Oxfam International team inspects zones affected by the flooding in Peru

Yesterday the members of the Oxfam International team, which were designated last week to inspect flood damages in the Andean zones of Puno, traveled to Azangaro, part of the Puno province, where the most severe damages have occurred. The team also conducted interviews with various officials from the regional government and the regional Minister of Health.
Spokespersons from the team stated that they are in the process of confirming the damages reported and verifying that the damage recorded in the preliminary reports about the number of communities affected has increased since the time they began to assess damages on January 31. Today the team is visiting communities in the district of Achaya, also located in the Azangaro province.

According to the Peruvian National Institute of National Defense (INDECI), the floods have been caused by rains that have affected the Andean region of Puno since January. To date the floods have left 18 people dead, 59,474 people injured and 6,119 homes destroyed, damaged or uninhabitable. Also, 680 hectors of cultivated land has been destroyed, an additional 31,485 hectors damaged and at least 6,140 hectors of natural pasture lands damaged. Meteorological reports confirm that moderate to intense isolated rainfall in the Andes will cause an increased flow in various rivers and have recommended taking preventative measures to avoid more damages in communities settled nearby rivers.

The Oxfam offices based in Lima Peru continue to inform networks worldwide on the OI evaluation team's findings and what their conclusions will be upon their return to Puno this week.