"Peru’s interim president, Jose Maria Balcazar, visited the district of Cayma, Arequipa province, on Wednesday, one of the areas hardest hit by the heavy rainfall recorded in recent days. However, the brief visit - reportedly only lasting five minutes - sparked anger among residents who are calling on a stronger government response. Footage shows the devastating aftermath of the extreme weather, with streets covered in mud and rocks, and homes and cars destroyed by the sheer force of the floods and landslides. According to reports, during his brief tour, the president inspected part of the damaged channel before quickly departing Alfredo Rodriguez Ballon International Airport to fly back to Lima. The short visit left residents without the chance to receive information or firm commitments. "We left this meeting feeling powerless. We hope the President will give us news, tell us that we already have the budget. It is simply one more assessment among many. We feel alone," said Mirtha Ruelas, Mayor of Yura. "He came, he did not speak to us at all. He did not tell us anything. I do not know what his thinking is. We are not bad people. […] If he is going to come to see us, he should give us a few words. But he did not say anything, he looked at us for a little while, got into the car and left," added resident Olga Escalante. Residents' complaints focus on the need for immediate action in districts such as Cayma, Cerro Colorado, Yanahuara and central Arequipa. Cayma Mayor Juan Linares said the president is only seeing the surface of the problem without addressing the whole issue. "The president is looking at half of the story. We need to go where there are no resources, where people have nothing to eat, where there are no mattresses, where there is no passability, where children have died," said Linares. After arriving at Arequipa airport, the president and his delegation travelled to the headquarters of the Regional Government, where they met with local authorities to coordinate damage assessments and the channelling of resources. The federal government later said that the president visited the Villa Continental area in Cayma to supervise and speed up clean-up efforts and the channelling of critical areas of the district, a version that differs from what residents attest. The flooding crisis across Peru has hit critical levels, with nearly half of the country's districts officially declared in a state of emergency. The disaster caused by El Nino Costero has resulted in at least three deaths due to flash flooding and mudslides, and destroyed more than 5,500 homes across southern Peru."