The United States will deploy a military hospital ship to Peru's Pacific coast next year to help the South American country respond to the potential impacts of the El Nino climate phenomenon, US Ambassador to Peru Bernie Navarro said Wednesday.
The deployment is part of broader cooperation between Washington and Lima. Navarro made the announcement after meeting Peruvian Foreign Minister Carlos Espá in Miami to discuss bilateral cooperation.
The move comes as the United States has increased humanitarian assistance following earthquakes in Colombia and Venezuela and stepped up joint military activities in the region.
Espá said the two countries had developed a road map that includes support through equipment, technical expertise and overflights aimed at preventing, reducing and responding to the effects of El Nino. The value of the US assistance was not disclosed.
Espá also met with US business leaders who are interested in investing in Peru's mining and infrastructure sectors.
Speaking in Spanish, Navarro said the meeting focused on understanding Peru's needs and determining how the United States could provide rapid assistance. He said the response to the recent earthquake in Colombia could have been quicker with better coordination between the countries.
Navarro said the USNS Comfort, a military hospital ship that previously visited Peru in 2018 and 2019, is scheduled to arrive off Peru's northern Pacific coast in February 2027, when El Nino is expected to reach its peak.
El Nino is a climate phenomenon caused by unusually warm ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific that can disrupt weather patterns around the world.
Meteorologists have warned that the developing phenomenon could become as strong as, or stronger than, the 1997 El Nino, which caused widespread damage through heat waves, heavy rainfall, flooding and wildfires.
Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori, who took office on July 28, has identified preparations for the potentially devastating climate phenomenon as a priority for her government.