2012 Loreto floods

2012 Loreto Floods

Bellavista-Nanay, located in northern Iquitos, is one of the areas that has been affected by flooding.
Date	February 2012 — now
Location	Loreto Province Trompeteros District Tigre District Requena Province Maquia District Requena District Maynas Province Iquitos (capital city) Fernando Lores District Las Amazonas District Ucayali Province Sarayacu District Mariscal Ramon Castilla Province San Pablo District Yavari District Source:
Deaths	7-8

The 2012 Loreto floods is an orange-alert weather event that affected Loreto Region, Peru that took place in the first months of 2012. February and March were the wettest months along the Peruvian Amazon. The area most affected in Loreto are villages, towns and coasts of the provincial capital, Iquitos. It is the first and strongest historical flood series in the history of Loreto, preceding the floods in 1986.

Wet weather in Loreto brought downpours and lots of drizzle, causing damage and flooding to the Loreto Region since November 2011. The rainy weather continued into early 2012, and the water level rose in the Amazon —extensive stream that feeds most of the Loreto tributaries— to 117 m. From February and March, several towns are affected (19,209-18,400 affected families), 26 000 hectares of farmland are flooded and water level reached the coastal streets of Iquitos. Other sites concerned, is the Ucayali Region.

It is anticipated that after the floods, in the dry season, would increase the risk of dengue and malaria due to the proliferation of mosquitoes.

Before the rains causes the rise in the rivers in Loreto Region in January 2012, a subtle rainy weather began in the region since September 2011. In January 2012, in several cities of Perú, (e.g. Piura, Tumbes, Lambayeque, Cusco, among others) were initially affected by intense rains.

The rains were increasing their strength, and became persistent downpours, which were unloaded every night. Later, on March 12, 2012, the National Service of Meteorology and Hydrology reported that the rivers Huallaga (+133.68 m), Ucayali (+132.11 m), Marañón (+122.72 m) and Amazon (+117.06 m) exceeded water levels, and declared a hydrological red alert. From the February 14, 2012, The region was hit by the first serious flooding, and since then, it took emergency measures to the affected families.