Container ships pass through the Panama Canal in Panama City, Panama, on August 19. The Panama Canal Authority limited daily ship traffic to 32, down from an average of 36, a previous limit imposed to address the drought caused by El Nino. Photo by Carlos Lemos/EPA
Aug. 26 (UPI) -- El Salvador and Panama have declared their highest-level alerts nationwide as the effects of El Niño threaten economies and residents' safety.
In Panama, the climate phenomenon already has brought torrential rains and severe flooding to northern and Caribbean areas, affecting more than 15,600 people.
In El Salvador, it has triggered extreme agricultural drought and unprecedented heat that destroyed 20% of basic grain crops, seriously threatening the country's food security.
In contrast, Panama's metropolitan and central regions are facing a rainfall deficit that could persist at least through March, according to forecasts from Panama's Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology.
