Three Central American countries have declared a state of emergency in the aftermath of tropical storm Agatha, which has left 150 people dead and thousands homeless.

DAMAGE AND DISEASE WIDESPREAD

Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador all sustained substantial damage over the weekend when rains and winds flattened buildings and flooded streets. Massive landslides that occurred during and after the storm have cut off access to rural areas making relief efforts impossible for the moment. Plan UK has already arrived with supplies and staff to begin relief work.

Water levels continue to rise dangerously in Honduras where 40,000 people have already fled from their homes.

“The emergency has not ended and the damage evaluation has not been finalised,” says Plan’s Dax Martinez in Honduras.

In Guatemala the damage was exacerbated by the eruption of the Pacaya volcano, the heavy ash in the atmosphere mixed with rain, creating heavy landslides and covering crops in sludge and polluting food sources.

Disease is now a very real danger to those living in the unsanitary conditions without access to proper water or sanitation facilities.

“We’ll support education measures to help prevent epidemics in shelters with medicines – especially for children. This will help prevent and cure skin conditions as well as respiratory and gastro intestinal diseases,” says Plan’s Rossana Viteri in El Salvador.

“The fear is that Dengue Fever will spike due to the situation, as a lot of the places affected by the storm have had high indexes of mosquito and Dengue cases.” He adds.

Plan‘s relief strategy is focusing on health, stemming the spread of disease, child protection within camps of displaced persons and psychosocial support for children. They have already distributed hundreds of mattresses and food supplies to the devastated regions.

LONGER TERM PROBLEMS

The already large number of people going hungry in Guatemala is set to rise sharply after the rains washed away several fields of maize, banana, sugar cane and coffee. The economy is also set to suffer as is the job market in the coming months. Guatemalan government agencies estimate that up to one-forth of all maize crops in the country have been damaged or destroyed. Maize is Guatemala’s staple food providing a large part of the country’s income.

“The result will be a lack of maize from August onwards, which will affect food security and job opportunities,” Jorge Gonzalez, president of the National Maize Council, told the local press.

Honduras and El Salvador are also suffering from destroyed crops and concerns about the future of their job markets. Food security is in peril and concerns about reestablishing agricultural locations and growable lands have been voiced by relief workers in all locations. You can help bring relief to those suffering today by supporting Plan UK and their continued efforts.