WASHINGTON, June 9 (Prensa Latina) PAHO today held a virtual meeting with industry ministers from across the Americas to better prepare for the start of hurricane season and the possible arrival of El Niño.
Extreme hydro-meteorological events such as hurricanes – whose season began from June 1st to November 30th – torrential rains and the resulting flooding and land shifts pose a constant threat to the region.
According to the Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters, they’ve caused more than 57 percent of the region’s emergencies over the past 15 years, affecting more than 175 million people.
Earlier this year, countries such as Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Paraguay and Peru have reported such events, which have significant impacts on health systems, food and water security, ecosystems, infrastructure and economies.
“The El Niño phenomenon and the hurricane season are a call to review where we are as a healthcare sector, what possible scenarios are possible given the threat of torrential rain and hurricanes, and plan the actions to be taken,” said Leonardo Hernández, head of the Emergency Response Unit the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
Almost average hurricane activity is expected in the Atlantic this year, while above-average hurricane activity is expected in the Pacific.
Meanwhile, experts predict with a high probability that an El Niño event will develop from the second half of 2023, which will lead to above-average precipitation in some countries, while falling precipitation in other regions of the continent.
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