UN HUMANITARIAN OFFICE MAKES EMERGENCY GRANT TO PERU, FOLLOWING INTENSE COLD, SNOWSTORMS

un humanitarian office makes emergency grant to peru,

following INTENSE COLD, SNOWSTORMS

NEW YORK, 19 July (OCHA) -- The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) made an emergency grant of $25,000 to the Government of Peru, following that country’s request for international assistance.  To alleviate suffering brought on by Peru’s recent snowstorms and intense cold weather, OCHA also offered a second grant of $25,000 from pre-positioned Danish funds.

Other agencies have also heeded Peru’s call.  Following a field assessment mission, the World Food Programme (WFP) announced that it was ready to mobilize $200,000 in support of the affected population.  In addition, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has provided 2,000 blankets and articles of warm clothing for babies, and 500 articles of heavy clothes to its office in Apurimac.  It has also pre-positioned 2,500 medical treatments kits for pneumonia in Lima, which could be used in case the situation worsens in the coming days.  For its part, the Peruvian Government has provided food, blankets, plastic rolls, tents and clothing for the affected areas.

The Peruvian Government has now officially declared a state of emergency in eight departments.  The number of provinces affected by the severe cold and snowstorms has risen from 41 to 44, and the number of people affected has increased from 85,000 to 158,836.  Some 3,082 houses have been destroyed, and agriculture has been severely affected.

Access to the affected areas continues to be difficult due to precarious road conditions and the high altitude.  Officials are thus worried about possible lack of information and underestimation of the weather’s impact.

For further information, please call:  Stephanie Bunker, OCHA New York, tel:  917 367 5126, mobile:  917 892 1679; or Madelaine Moulin-Acevedo, OCHA Geneva, tel:  41 22 917 3160.

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