Cerro Verde Responds to Devastating Arequipa Floods

March 30, 2026 - Team members at the company’s Cerro Verde operation in Peru responded quickly after severe rainstorms hit the region, providing heavy equipment, tools and food to support recovery efforts.

Heavy rains affected Arequipa near the mine site from mid-February to March, with the most intense storms in late February. A particularly severe storm lasting more than an hour overwhelmed Arequipa’s flood control system, flooding the streets. Weeks of prior rainfall had already saturated the ground, contributing to flooding and mudslides.

By the time the storms finally subsided, the impact was devastating—six people had died, approximately 100 families were forced from their homes and more than 600 houses sustained damage.

Neighborhoods were blanketed with mud, rocks and debris. In response, Cerro Verde activated its assistance plan, delivering supplies to address urgent needs, coordinating humanitarian support and helping restore critical city infrastructure.

Heavy machinery – including excavators, dump trucks, water tankers and front loaders – was deployed to impacted areas to clear roads and streets, overwhelmed flood control channels and clogged waterways. In all, 56 Cerro Verde employees, some working double shifts, logged more than 1,660 hours to the recovery efforts.

In addition to the heavy equipment, the operation supplied residents and local governments with equipment such as wheelbarrows, shovels, sandbags and chainsaws that helped support containment efforts and mitigate flooding as rains continued.

The site also assisted local agricultural districts by helping clean and dredge irrigation canals and restore critical water infrastructure for farmers.

Cerro Verde even helped with outfitting a rapid disaster intervention company at the nearby Tiabaya Army barracks.

Since the floods began, the company has provided more than 1,600 food baskets to area residents.

“We know recovery will take time, but we also know that Arequipa—our home—has an enormous capacity to rise again,” said Pablo Alcázar, Cerro Verde’s Manager of Public and Community Affairs. “Our role is to accompany that collective effort, adding resources and goodwill so that each affected family can rebuild its present and look to the future with hope.”

Photo (top right to bottom): Crews from Cerro Verde assisted in the recovery after devastating floods hit the Arequipa region in February; Crews from Cerro Verde survey the damage to streets after recent floods; Cerro Verde provided heavy equipment to clear the debris after recent flooding in Arequipa.