It had not happened since 1998, when floods caused by the El Niño climate phenomenon killed 400 people, according to Peruvian president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski. The devastating rains and subsequent flooding of recent months, with the most significant event unleashing in mid-March, have affected more than one million people and left 107 dead so far. The abnormal rainfall levels, ten times above average, are thought to have been caused by "coastal El Niño", a localised warming of the ocean normally preceded by El Niño — a similar event affecting the entire central Pacific — but which this year developed independently.

The worst-hit regions are La Libertad, Lambayeque and Piura, where the international humanitarian organisation Action Against Hunger is operating, providing drinking water, food, medical care and training to communities in need in nearly 50 countries around the world. Chiara Saccardi is the emergency team coordinator, a role she has held for several years and that has taken her to countries including South Sudan, Niger and Malawi, and now Peru. She told us about the most pressing problems linked to the emergency and what atmosphere can be felt in the affected areas.

Can you give us an assessment of the damage caused by the floods in Peru?
Half the country — twelve out of 24 regions — has been declared in a state of emergency. We are talking about more than 60,000 damaged homes. There are 47,000 people who, to this day, more than a month after the main event, are sleeping in precarious conditions and who will also be forced to live in these conditions over the next six to twelve months or more.

What are the most pressing needs that must be addressed?
One of the most worrying things is the risk of epidemics. Dengue cases have already increased exponentially: ten times as many have been recorded compared to a normal situation. This is one of the things that needs to be brought under control as quickly as possible to prevent the impact from worsening.

Most of the people affected are in the poverty bracket, according to General Jorge Chavez, spokesperson for the national emergency operations centre (Coen). Is that true?
There are various reasons why one can say that. One is that vast agricultural areas are located in the affected zone, so it is mainly farmers who have been hit, as well as people who made a living from small-scale trade. Furthermore, the houses that have been destroyed are the most dilapidated ones. Unfortunately, it is always the poorest sections of the population who find themselves living in precarious conditions: there is this double phenomenon — not only the impact of the damage caused, but the fact that it hits the most vulnerable people hardest.

How is Action Against Hunger intervening?
Our work began with a focus primarily on water, because it is a vector of epidemics, by intervening on access to clean water and vector control. We are also supporting projects to facilitate the management of communal canteens where people organise themselves to distribute meals to everyone. Our particular strength is a special focus on the risk of malnutrition. The intervention is focused on promoting appropriate hygiene practices to prevent the spread of diseases that then cause loss of appetite, and on ensuring access to a balanced and adequate diet.

Does Action Against Hunger also work with other bodies or organisations?
The Peruvian government makes the main decisions on the management of the response. It has already launched recovery plans and measures to support the affected population. As a humanitarian organisation, we make ourselves available, in collaboration with the government. There is also a major coordination effort at the level of humanitarian organisations, through the United Nations system, and likewise with civil society. The Peruvians themselves and local solidarity networks are very active, and we are coordinating closely with them.

So has there been participation from the international community in responding to the emergency?
Yes, a somewhat timid one. International humanitarian attention exists, and there are several institutional funds that have been dedicated to the emergency. It must be said, however, unfortunately, that they are quite limited relative to the need that currently exists in the country.

How can citizens of the international community help?
By visiting the Action Against Hunger website, there are ways to support us. It is important to talk about this problem now, to spread the word about what is happening and to remember that these types of events have an impact that lasts over time: so intervening and receiving support now in order to try to minimise the long-term effects.

When will the affected areas be able to return to something approaching "normality"?
There are government plans that are ambitious and that hope to be able to house most families in temporary but at least properly built homes within six months to a year. Unfortunately, timescales often stretch out, and the logistical difficulties alone are enormous. There are also other types of impacts that will last a long time: a great many hectares of land have been lost, and it will take years to drain and reclaim them.

What effect did what you saw in the country have on you?
The personal, human aspect is what makes the difference. What struck me was arriving in areas where a great many people had been affected — I remember, for example, a child who came up to me, with big wide eyes, and told me that he no longer even had anywhere to sleep and that he was sleeping on the ground.

Is there an emergency situation you have witnessed that reminds you of what is happening in Peru?
Emergencies caused by a natural event share this quality of the unexpected and of helplessness, so it can be similar to a situation like the earthquakes in Ecuador or in Nepal. When these natural phenomena occur, one thing they have in common is the sense of helplessness felt by the affected populations. Another is the fact that the people who have been hit are the first to roll up their sleeves, something I have seen repeated in various countries and in various situations.