Floods in the Puna highlands
In 1960, a flood occurred in the Puna highlands as part of a cycle of natural disasters that affected the region between the 1950s and 1960s. This event, together with recurrent droughts, generated significant emigration to urban centers.
Between the 1950s and 1960s, the Puna highlands experienced a particularly strong combination of droughts and floods. The 1960 floods were part of a cycle of natural disasters that included the droughts of 1955-56, 1957 and 1964, and the floods of 1960, 1962 and 1963. These extreme weather events generated significant emigration to urban areas such as Arequipa. The "great drought" of 1956-1961 in the Puna highlands, combined with the floods, caused important demographic changes in the region.