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Analysis of the Regional Group on Risks, Emergencies and Disasters for Latin America and the Caribbean (REDLAC) coordinated by OCHA ROLAC
As of November 2023
Key considerations
The 2023 El Niño phenomenon is currently affecting Latin America and the Caribbean and forecast to persist until May 2024.
The effects of El Niño on precipitation and temperature vary across regions causing droughts, wildfires and floods potentially disrupting the lives and livelihoods of millions of people.
Possible humanitarian impacts are already becoming apparent where previous vulnerabilities are high and response capacities limited. Some at-risk countries are Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana,
Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela.
Conditions in the Central American Dry Corridor as well as the South American Amazon, Gran Chaco and Andes regions merit close monitoring.
People whose livelihoods depend on small-scale farming and fishing, children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, elderly people, people with chronic illnesses and those already experiencing food insecurity are most likely to suffer greater humanitarian effects from El Niño.
Early, concerted and locally-led action is necessary to mitigate the humanitarian consequences of El Niño.
1. Situational Overview for Latin America and the Caribbean
El Niño, the warm cycle of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), is a natural climate phenomenon linked to the periodic warming in sea-surface temperatures across the central and eastern Pacific Ocean and subsequent changes in weather patterns around the world. An El Niño episode occurs every 2-7 years and typically lasts 9-12 months, though it can persist as long as 2-3 years. A usual El Niño pattern forms during June-August and reaches peak strength between October and February of the following year.
Amid rising temperatures in the tropical Pacific, the Word Meteorological Organization has declared the onset of El Niño in July 2023.
El Niño in Latin America & the Caribbean.
Although every El Niño episode is unique, in Latin America and the Caribbean, El Niño usually brings a mix of drought, extreme temperatures, heavy rainfall and flooding. Below-normal precipitation is typical over northern South America (Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, Bolivia and eastern Peru) and Central America (El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua), while above-average rainfall is expected in coastal areas of South America (Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil). Some countries or areas, such as Venezuela, Colombia, Peru and parts of the Caribbean, experience both extremes of El Niño impacts, with both dry/drought conditions and increased rainfall and flooding.
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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
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Source link : https://reliefweb.int/report/venezuela-bolivarian-republic/effects-and-humanitarian-consequences-el-nino-phenomenon-latin-america-and-caribbean-20232024
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Publish date : 2023-11-28 03:00:00
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