Floods in Central America

Two weeks of torrential rains, 700,000 affected, and 90 dead. That is part of the story coming from Central America today.

Since October 11, most of the small land bridge connecting North and South America has been covered by unrelenting rains. Parts of the most afflicted countries, Guatemala and El Salvador, have seen more than 4 feet of rain fall in less than a week. This is more than three times the normal monthly average.

As in all humanitarian crises, the toll has a human face. That is the other part of the story “Several families in Chipoton lost their homes, and most of those in Chirijuyú their crops” reports Felipa Xico, director of MeA, our partner in Guatemala. “These are our friends. They had struggled for years to improve their lives.” She continues, “it will take days until the roads are cleared and we can know how people are. We have offered the MeA offices as emergency shelter.”

Our partners in El Salvador and Honduras are likewise taking stock of the damage to homes and crops. World Accord’s best equipped partner in the region, PAG, began trucking food, blankets, and building materials last week. “We really need some help to purchase food for these families,” wrote Chet Thomas of PAG. “This situation is quite serious and it will continue for a long time as everything has been lost, food supply, jobs, homes and in some cases, hope!”

Many fear the lost corn and bean harvests in will mean hunger for hundreds of thousands in a region where food insecurity is already widespread.

Check back here for more news, and visit our Hot Topics blog for a discussion coming soon on the connection between Climate Change and the Floods in Central America.