LIMA, Peru (AP) — Peru declared a state of emergency on Wednesday for nearly half the country’s districts following severe rainfall, landslides and flooding triggered by rising ocean temperatures, which authorities link to the El Nino Costero, or coastal El Nino, climate phenomenon.

Signed by interim President José María Balcázar and published in the country’s official gazette, the decree aims to fast-track funding for local and regional authorities to secure vital infrastructure — including bridges, roads, water and electricity — while protecting the life and health of residents. More than 700 districts across the Pacific coast, the Andes and the Amazon are now under a state of emergency.

Although rains have intensified in the past days, the new government was unable to implement the decrees until now. President Balcázar only swore in his Cabinet on Tuesday, ending a period without ministers that began on Feb. 17 following the removal of his predecessor, José Jerí, who faces an investigation into corruption and influence peddling.

Peru’s ministry of transportation said Wednesday that about 931 kilometers (580 miles) of roads have been damaged nationwide, with the destruction concentrated in the four regions hardest hit by rainfall. These vital routes serve more than half a million people every week.

Authorities also updated the death toll, noting that 68 people have died due to rain-related causes since December. Among the recent victims were a father and son swept away by a landslide in Arequipa, as well as a police officer in Lima who drowned in the Rimac River while attempting to rescue a dog trapped by the Andean floods.

According to authorities, Pacific waters are warming and El Nino Costero is expected to strengthen slightly in March. The warming of ocean waters leads to high evaporation rates and extreme rainfall, as well as increased river flows.

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