The United States will send the military hospital ship USNS Comfort to Peru's northern Pacific coast in February 2027 to help the country prepare for the expected peak of El Niño. The deployment forms part of a broader bilateral plan for prevention, mitigation and emergency response.
The announcement followed a meeting in Miami between U.S. Ambassador to Peru Bernie Navarro and Peruvian Foreign Minister Carlos Espá. Their talks produced a road map that includes equipment, technical expertise and surveillance flights, although the value of the assistance was not disclosed.
Navarro said the objective was to understand Peru's requirements and organize rapid support. He connected that goal to lessons from the recent earthquake in Colombia, where better coordination could have accelerated the arrival of help.
The Comfort previously visited Peru in 2018 and 2019. Its return is timed for a period when the climate event is expected to reach maximum intensity, placing medical capacity and logistics close to areas on the Pacific coast that may require assistance.
El Niño is driven by warming in the equatorial Pacific and can alter weather patterns around the world. Meteorologists warn that the approaching event could match or exceed the 1997 episode, which caused damage through heat waves, intense rain, floods and wildfires.
President Keiko Fujimori, who took office on July 28, has made preparation for the potentially catastrophic phenomenon a government priority. The bilateral plan gives that objective an international operational component months before the forecast peak.
The talks took place as Washington increased humanitarian assistance following earthquakes in Colombia and Venezuela and expanded joint military activity in the region. Espá also met American business leaders interested in mining and infrastructure investments, adding an economic track to the wider cooperation agenda.
