Bolivia declares national emergency as El Nino sparks floods, drought
More rescue teams are being deployed after drought hit 78.000 families and killed more than 75.000 livestock.
Bolivia President Rodrigo Paz declared a national emergency on 31 October to free up resources to confront the impact of El Nino, which has triggered floods and drought across the country. The decree also clears the way for the deployment of more rescue teams to the hardest-hit areas. A government report said the drought has affected 78.000 families in six of Bolivia's nine departments and caused the loss of more than 75.000 cattle. El Nino warms surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific, then alters wind patterns, air pressure and rainfall. The U.N. warned this week that the phenomenon could reach unprecedented strength and hit Latin America, eastern and southern Africa, Asia and the Pacific.