Plan is continuing to provide crucial relief and recovery assistance in Guatemala following deadly landslides caused by the country’s worst rainy season for over half century.

While the floods in Pakistan are drawing plenty of attention and receiving significant donations, the devastation in Central America in the aftermath of tropical storm Agatha remains largely out of the public’s attention.

In June, 80,000 people were left homeless as Tropical Storm Agatha tore through the tiny Central American country. And at the weekend, at least 45 people were killed in landslides across the country following torrential rains.

“Agatha began one of the most intense rainy seasons in the last 50 years in Guatemala,” says Plan’s country director Debora Cobar. “Heavy rains from the latest tropical depression have pelted the country for days, unleashing mudslides in several areas. Highways have been cut off, prompting officials to evacuate thousands of people – rescuers were trying to save people buried under a wall of mud”.

Fresh downpours suspended a rescue bid with at least 15 people still missing after a mudslide wiped out a highway north-west of the capital, Guatemala City. More than 40,000 people have been affected and thousands more remain at risk from further flooding and landslides. The worst affected areas are on the Pacific Coast, in Retalhuleu, Suchitepequez and Escuintla, currently at ‘red alert’.

More than 30 separate landslides hit the Inter-American Highway, one of Guatemala’s main roads and more rain is forecast. “Water levels behind some dams in the region have risen so high that floodgates have been opened,” says Ms Cobar.

Plan staff are on stand-by to provide help for those caught-up in the crisis as part of the Humanitarian Network of emergency response bodies and is in talks with local governments to provide water, food and child protection teams. Plan is also distributing blankets, mattresses, and clothes for patients after the Santa Catalina La Tinta hospital was flooded.

Click the button below to visit the Plan website to find out how they are helping Guatemala and other countries recover from the effects of tropical storm Agatha. If you want to get involved in helping, you can even sponsor a child with Plan. By donating a small amount each month, you can make a huge difference in the life of a child and help Plan to change children’s lives around the world.