Flooding Emergency in Central America Prompts Relief Efforts

Catholic Relief Services
Wednesday, 5 June 2002

Heavy rains in parts of Central America have resulted in flooding and landslides in El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua, with rainfall exceeding norms by 278 percent in Nicaragua's capital city of Managua. Officials have reported four deaths in Honduras and El Salvador, and nearly 3,000 people have been evacuated from the Pacific regions of Nicaragua because of tremendous material damage. Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has responded immediately by working with partners to assess damages and monitor the weather conditions throughout the region.

"These rains and landslides have hit the poor and vulnerable especially hard given their precarious housing conditions and the damage to their crops," said Kristen Sample, CRS Deputy Director for Latin America and the Caribbean.

CRS is working with local partners throughout the region to provide immediate assistance to victims of the floods. In Nicaragua, CRS is working with Caritas Nicaragua to provide food and medicines to families evacuated from their homes in Managua. CRS/El Salvador distributed sugar, beans, rice, salt, oil, coffee, bananas and Vitamin C tablets to 35 families in the department of Ahuachapán. CRS/El Salvador is also exploring the possibility of building a retaining wall to keep more than 90 homes from falling down the hills in case of further landslides. In Honduras, CRS is assessing the needs of flood and landslide victims and looking ahead to the likelihood of yet another drought in the coming months.

The rainy season, known as "primera," started in mid-May, bringing torrential rains to the region. In Honduras, landslides in three of the central departments of the country have caused hundreds to evacuate from their homes. Nicaragua declared a State of Natural Disaster in the Pacific regions of the country because incessant rains had caused material damage from flooding. The National Land Studies Center of El Salvador has reported 25 landslides and 13 floods in the western departments of San Vicente, Usulután, Ahuachapán, La Libertad, and Sonsonante.

Central America had been suffering from a severe drought since June of 2001, affecting more than 771,000 people and causing the loss of between 30 to 100 percent of crops throughout the region. Last week's heavy rains are consistent with meteorologists' predictions for this El Niño year. It is expected that heavy rains in May and June will be followed by a prolonged dry season in July and August. "This region has been waiting for a productive rainy season to begin recovery from a nearly year-long drought, but downpours like this wash away newly planted seeds," Sample said. "It's a major setback."

Catholic Relief Services has worked in Central America for nearly 40 years. The agency has supported numerous projects aimed at assisting the poor in Central America by improving their living conditions and their capacities to cope with natural disasters. CRS continues to provide assistance and rehabilitation to the countries affected by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, and the earthquakes in El Salvador and Peru in 2001.

For more information, or to contact Catholic Relief Services, see their website at: www.catholicrelief.org