Hurricane Stan Emergency Appeal - Report
 |
|
|||
|
||||
|
|
|||
Thank you to everyone who supported our appeal. The genourosity, hard work, and compassion shown by donors, aid workers and many others has enabled us to help those children and families that we aim to support with our childcare work. A summary of the Hurricane's impact is given below. Please take time to read about where, and how, your support has been put to use.
On 3, 4, and 5 October, Hurricane Stan affected Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Nicaragua and the South of Mexico. The countries most affected were Guatemala and El Salvador, where hundreds were killed in floods and mudslides, and many communities were left completely isolated with very limited resources.
In Guatemala, the loss of crops, livestock, housing, employment and damage to roads and general infrastructure will have a long term impact. The coffee and banana industries on which many depend were badly affected. The country’s reserves of basic food items will not last, but importing large quantities of these products may have a devastating impact on local agriculture.
UNICEF reports that over 1/3 of the victims are children. Many have lost family members and in Sololá and San Marcos at least 42 children have been left orphaned. In Quetzaltanango an estimated 2,227 children have been displaced from their homes.
In the city of Quetzaltenango, where the Centro Infantil Bellota operates, many have lost their homes and members of their family, and are currently living in temporary hostels set up in school buildings and halls. The towns and rural areas of the department of Quetzaltenango also suffered serious damage to agriculture, housing, personal belongings, jobs, and transport. This has both immediate and long-term consequences
Estimates of the death toll and damage caused vary considerably and accurate numbers are difficult to establish. Two villages were completely wiped out and many bodies were never dug up from the mud that buried them. Official authorities predict that the death toll at over 2000, while local papers put the figure as high as 3,000 dead. Estimates of the number of people affected are around 250,000 with 84,949 people living in temporary shelters throughout the country in the immediate aftermath.
Read more about the difference your support has made.
){kind=link}