You can thank the cyclical weather pattern known as El Niño for that. Increased rainfall is likely in South America and severe drought in Australia, Indonesia and parts of southern Asia. El Niño may have played a role in that transformation over a scant 24 hours; the warmer sea surface temperatures associated with the weather pattern provide favorable conditions for hurricane development in the eastern Pacific. The human toll of these El Niño repercussions is immense. As we enter another year of El Niño, one that could be “historically strong,” the challenge is on for rich nations to coordinate and deepen their assistance to developing countries before they face these foreseeable consequences.

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Persons: Hurricane Otis, El Locations: South America, Australia, Indonesia, Asia, Peru, India, Pacific Coast, Mexico, El