El Nino could increase hunger for 50 million, UN says

El Nino could increase hunger for 50 million people as floods, fires and drought affect parts of the world, UN aid chief Tom Fletcher warned.

Celeste Saulo, head of the World Meteorological Organization, said the current El Nino event could be unprecedented in strength and “off the monitoring charts” used over the past four decades. She and Fletcher called for urgent coordinated action to protect vulnerable communities.

El Nino warms surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, changing winds, pressure and rainfall patterns worldwide. It usually occurs every two to seven years and lasts about nine to 12 months.

In northeastern Argentina, flooding linked to El Nino has killed two people in recent days. More than 2,000 people left their homes last week after heavy rain swelled the Parana, Uruguay and Iguazu rivers.

In Peru, authorities said at least 12 people have died since June in forest fires. Biologist Daniel Valle of the Scientific University of the South in Lima said hot, dry air linked to El Nino helped the flames spread quickly.

French Guiana has had a significant rainfall deficit for several months. Authorities have set up an air bridge to supply about 40,000 residents of isolated municipalities with no road access after river traffic slowed because of low water levels.

The International Organization for Migration said 874,000 people could be forced to leave their homes in Somalia over the next three months because of flooding. The agency said it had received about 14.4 percent of the $16.6 million needed to prepare its response.

Scientists cautioned that individual extreme weather events cannot be attributed solely to El Nino, because regional, seasonal and other meteorological factors also play major roles.