Israel urged Israelis in Ecuador to exercise caution over El Niño — Jerusalem Post

Israel’s Foreign Ministry urged Israelis in Ecuador to exercise greater caution due to the nationwide red alert declared in the country amid the development of the El Niño weather phenomenon.

Red alert

Ecuador’s National Risk Management Secretariat declared a red alert on August 29 and instructed provincial and local emergency committees to strengthen preparedness and response. Ecuadorian authorities emphasized that the decision is intended to speed up preparatory measures and does not mean that heavy rainfall will immediately affect all regions of the country.

As The Jerusalem Post reports, Ecuador’s official El Niño monitoring portal maintains a red alert. The latest available technical bulletin stated that the phenomenon is at an early stage of development.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Warning for travelers

Israel’s Foreign Ministry advised its citizens to follow instructions from local authorities and avoid traveling to areas where floods, landslides, or strong water currents are possible. Travelers were also urged not to cross rivers, streams, or flooded roads, even if the water appears shallow.

El Niño occurs due to abnormal warming of surface waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean and affects rainfall, temperature, and wind patterns. In Ecuador, the phenomenon may cause heavy rains, flooding, rising river levels, and landslides, while unusually dry and hot conditions are possible in other parts of the country.

Earlier in September, Israeli services conducted drills in preparation for a particularly strong El Niño, practicing scenarios involving floods, strong winds, infrastructure disruptions, and interruptions to electricity and water supplies.