QUITO: Ecuador became the latest Latin American country to declare an emergency over the El Nino climate phenomenon on Saturday, which could be strongest on record, officials said.
This year's El Nino is already wreaking havoc in Central America, which is in the throes of a severe drought, and in Indonesia, where it is exacerbating wildfires.
Scientists predict the current occurrence will reach its peak by the end of the year and cause record global heat in 2027.
Ecuador's Ministry of Risk Management "declared a red alert throughout the country in response to the El Nino episode."
The alert activates emergency committees tasked with coordinating preventive evacuations and other measures.
El Nino causes surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean to rise, altering wind patterns, pressure, and precipitation, and disrupting fishing and bird migrations.
Ecuador is also expecting droughts and wildfires in its Amazon region, in the east of the country.
Panama, Honduras and El Salvador have already declared emergencies over El Nino.
Further south, Peru has declared a state of emergency in a third of its cities over El Nino, warning that intense heat and rain might mean people will not have enough to eat.