Inhabitants of the Huaraz population in Peru are at risk of suffering from a massive chunk of ice that could fall off from glaciers teetering above the city into Lake Palcacocha.

The Weather Channel website informed on Monday that this could be a consequence of the warm climate in the region and could result into large floods.

The ice that could fall could then “propel a 100-foot wall of water and debris into the city that is home to 150,000, the Guardian reported”, said The Weather Channel, adding that experts say that the glacier could displace up to 39 billion gallons of water.

“A similar outburst flooding event occurred in Huaraz in 1941, killing approximately 5,000 people”, the website informed, therefore people need to be warned about the danger of this situation.
About 50,000 people live in the danger zone, and experts in the subject believe that still there could be 20,000 fatalities, even if the inhabitants were warned with sufficient time because there would only be 30 minutes available to evacuate the area.

Since May, June, and July are the sunniest months of the year, they are the riskiest for calving events.

“In June 2017, chunks of ice toppled into the lake, sending 10-foot waves into the city and destroying infrastructure meant to prevent outburst floods, according to a report by the Earth Institute, Columbia University”, wrote The Weather Channel.

(Source)

(Cover Photo Wikipedia)

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