TRUJILLO, Peru — Pope Francis on Saturday consoled the victims of natural disasters in this northern Peruvian city ravaged by warming coastal waters, storms and deadly mudslides, as he returned to themes of poverty and the environment on the second day of his visit to the country.

“I know that, at the time of darkness, when they felt the blow of El Niño, these lands knew how to get moving,” he said during a Mass held at a site overlooking the Pacific.

Peru is still recovering from devastating weather that battered the country a year ago and left around 160 people dead and hundreds of thousands of others unable to return to their homes, mainly because of mudslides. The damage was blamed on the El Niño phenomenon, a temporary rise in temperatures along the coast that causes increased rainfall and stronger storms.

Desert communities like Trujillo, already concerned about climate change, now worry that the effects of temperature swings will be greater in years to come. Many of those who live here are migrants from other parts of Peru who have tried to escape poverty by joining in the growing export trade that has taken root here.