GIlberto Romero, the head of the Center for Disaster Research and Prevention said "this is not a natural disaster, but a natural phenomenon that has led to disaster because of the informal way this country has developed.”He blames the government's poor judgement in not telling their citizens for preparing properly and their poor development, making destruction of infrastructure a larger issue post flood than it could have been. The lack in common global standards of infrastructure has contributed to this problem.
The destruction by El Niño is costing Peru $3.1 billion in damages, which is roughly 1.6% of the nation's GDP. It has been reported that three-quarters of the money will cover housing damages, bridges and roads, as well as rebuilding their central highway.
This disaster has not received as much attention as other nations disasters like California or Peru's neighboring country, Columbia that is recovering from a landslide and over two hundred deaths.
There is a hashtag on social media to create awareness for the issue,
#UnaSolaFuerza there is also a website for people to go donate which will fund family kits. They include; water, canned food, sunscreen, etc. and will be distributed to displaced families.
Do you agree that there should be a global standard for infrastructure?
http://www.peruthisweek.com/news-how-much-will-nino-cost-to-peru-111477
https://www.generosity.com/volunteer-fundraising/nana-needs-your-help-unasolafuerza
By Juliet Jones
https://www.generosity.com/volunteer-fundraising/nana-needs-your-help-unasolafuerza
By Juliet Jones
I believe the more important question here is why countries such as Peru continue to attribute natural disasters to regular occurrences such as el nino. While it may be correct to state that these disasters stem from the el nino weather pattern, the severeness is more recent and is most likely attributed to climate change. It can often be difficult to make the shift to that ideology and one that Peru should start discussing in order to address these problems more efficiently in the future and also start preventive steps.
ReplyDeleteThere should be a global standard for infrastructure but then we get into the whole "countries don't have the same resources" to support this global standard.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jose and think that there should be a global standard for infrastructure but it's important to point out that not all countries have access to the same amount of resources. In order for a global standard on infrastructure to be effective their needs to be a system that is equitable in the amount of aid and resources a country receives. The question is how will this be measured and who determines who is in control of monitoring this system.
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