Hurricane Stan Emergency Appeal
Thank you to everyone who helped with our emergency appeal. The destruction caused by Hurricane Stan will take many months - even years - to put right. The human cost of this is impossible to determine. People are slowly piecing their lives back together. Your support has enabled us to give some of them a helping hand, including many of the children badly affected by the storm. Please look at our appeal report pages to see how the the appeal has helped.
The following material was posted here in the immediate aftermath of the storm:
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| Click on the map for a larger image |
On
the 4th of October hurricane Stan swept through Central America leaving
a trail of devastation. Some of the worst affected
areas were around
Quetzaltenango and nearby Lake Atitlan. Landslides and flooding have
destroyed homes and communities, many people have lost their lives.
Electricity and fresh water supplies have been disrupted and many
transportation and communication links to the region have been severed.
The children and communities that the Maya Childcare Trust is seeking
to help are among those most badly affected by this disaster. We
have received news from our two coordinators in the area, they
have both been working hard to support some of the communities worst
affected by the torrential rains. Basic supplies are in short supply
and many families have lost everything:
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Please take a moment of your time to read some of the information on these pages. If you would like to help, please take a look at our donation page. The communities in this region need your help to get them back on their feet and to alleviate the immediate suffering this disaster has caused. We have coordinators in Quetzaltenango right now, ready to distribute help to those most in need. Thank you for your support.
" I went with a couple of friends this afternoon
to a crisis centre where they are providing shelter, hot drinks,
basic food, clothing, and other essentials to people who have
had to leave
their homes. There were people there who feel they have lost
everything – their
homes and their businesses. There are no insurance companies
or social security supports to catch them. We took some supplies
from there in
a pick-up truck to a town nearby that has been very badly affected.
There were people up on their roofs in the rain because they
didn't want to leave. We had to leave the pick-up and carry
supplies on foot because the bridge leading to the town is
collapsing and can’t
support the weight of vehicles. There they are likely to have
a very difficult night. I don’t know if they will have any
electricity. It is very cold ! and it is still raining. It
is expected to
continue for another 24 hours. "