Peru is susceptible to numerous types of natural disasters. Located along the Nazca tectonic plate, this country is prone to earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic activity. Peru is also afflicted by flooding, droughts, and intermittent landslides. An estimated 80 percent of the population lives in an area at-risk for earthquakes. In 1970, Peru experienced its most devastating earthquake, measuring a 7.7 on the Richter scale and killed approximately 70,000 people, injured 140,000, and displaced 500,000. In total, the earthquake affected over 3.2 million people and caused serious political and economic disruptions.

El Niño also has a significant effect on climate and natural disasters in Peru. Occurring in cycles over fifteen to twenty years, El Niño displaces the normally cool Humbolt Current with warmer, equatorial waters. This causes an increase in rainfall along the coast, while exacerbating drought conditions in the highlands. This results in an increase in flooding along the coast and a disruption in agriculture in the highlands. In addition, both malaria and dengue, which are endemic in many regions Peru, are exacerbated by increased mosquito breeding sites in the wake of floods. In recent years, the rural population of Peru has been migrating to cities. Increasing urban populations put greater stress on natural resources, while decreasing rural populations suffer losses to economic and political infrastructures; these new developments have compounded the problems associated with natural disasters that afflict Peru