U.S. Readies Hospital Ship to Bring Aid to Peru as El Niño Threatens the Country's Most Vulnerable Communities

The hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) is anchored off the coast of Paita, Peru, on November 2, 2022, during an 11-week medical support mission to Central and South America under U.S. Southern Command’s Enduring Promise initiative. (Credit: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Patrick Morrissey/Released)

The Briefing

• The U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort — carrying 1,000 beds, operating rooms, CT units, and a blood bank — is scheduled to arrive off Peru's northern coast in February 2027, when El Niño is projected to peak.
• On October 19, Ryan Shrum, a senior State Department official from the Office of Disaster Assistance and Humanitarian Response, met with Peru's Foreign Minister Carlos Espá and Ambassador Bernie Navarro in Lima to coordinate bilateral preparedness strategy, including private-sector engagement in infrastructure, telecommunications, and logistics.
• Peru's disaster risk agency CENEPRED warns that close to 8 million people nationwide face very high flood risk; Lima leads nationally with 2.27 million at-risk residents, while Piura — the U.S. medical priority zone — follows with 1.35 million, the highest exposure of any northern region.