A Cuban brigade composed of 23 health care professionals landed in Peru on Friday to assist victims of heavy rains and floods lashing the Inca nation.
The Henry Reeve Contingent brigade, which specializes in disasters and serious epidemics, comprises 12 doctors and 11 specialists “with over 10 years’ working or mission experience” overseas, its head Rolando Piloto was quoted as saying by Cuba’s official newspaper Granma.
Cuba’s Health Minister Roberto Morales explained the mission will treat victims over a month, working to “prevent epidemics” in northern Piura, the hardest-hit region by torrential rains.
This is the third time Cuba expresses its solidarity to Peru in natural disaster events. The Central American nation previously helped Peru in 1970, when an earthquake destroyed Ancash city, and in 2007, when another earthquake hit the central coast.
Abnormal downpours and floods ravaging Peru are caused by Coastal El Niño weather pattern, which has been wreaking havoc in the country since the beginning of the year.
Disasters have so far claimed 98 lives, leaving 133,097 victims and 895,489 affected citizens, National Emergency Operations Center’s (COEN) latest report revealed.
The island nation thus joins the international response to Peru’s Coastal El Niño weather phenomenon.
Peru previously received generous donations and contributions from Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, China, the United States, Bolivia, Canada, Panama, Paraguay, Mexico, Japan, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Pope Francis.
(END) AFP/VVS/DHT/RMB
Published: 3/31/2017