UNITED NATIONS MOBILIZING INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR CENTRAL AMERICA

UNITED NATIONS MOBILIZING INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR CENTRAL AMERICA

NEW YORK, 7 October (OCHA) -- Severe flooding and mudslides, caused by the heavy rainfalls produced by hurricane Stan, continue to affect countries throughout Central America, including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Nicaragua.

The United Nations remains in close contact with local authorities in each country, and has already begun to mobilize international support for emergency relief and recovery efforts, as requested by individual Governments.

For El Salvador, where heavy rainfalls and flooding due to hurricanes Rita and Stan coincided with the eruption of one of the country’s largest volcanoes, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) quickly released a $60,000 emergency cash grant for emergency relief and coordination activities.  The Regional Disaster Response Adviser for Latin America and the Caribbean has arrived in the country, and a United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team will be on the ground by tomorrow.

The United Nations has also issued a joint inter-agency appeal, now revised upwards to approximately $7.9 million, to meet both the immediate relief and longer-term recovery needs of nearly 170,000 individuals affected by these convergent emergencies.  Provision of shelters, food, basic hygiene and medical supplies and clean water for the more than 50,000 persons displaced have been identified as the most urgent priorities.  In the medium term, the United Nations will work to assist the families who have lost family members, homes and livelihoods to recover.

In Guatemala, at least 25,000 people have been affected by flooding and mudflows.  At present, the focus of national and local efforts remains search-and-rescue and relief activities, and the number of those affected is expected to rise.  Access remains difficult as several towns in the most-affected areas continue to be cut off from the capital city.

With some 23,000 displaced persons now in shelters throughout the country, there is an urgent need for clean water, food and clothing.  Several United Nations agencies on the ground in Guatemala have identified cash, material and expert resources available for emergency relief and rehabilitation efforts.

In Costa Rica, heavy flooding and landslides have impacted the country over the past two weeks.  At present, some 370 communities have been affected and nearly 900 persons are living in temporary shelter arrangements.  The OCHA has released a $30,000 emergency cash grant for relief and coordination activities in the country.  As in the case of El Salvador, half of this grant was provided from Norwegian funds pre-positioned with OCHA.  United Nations officials remain in regular contact with the national disaster response mechanism.

For further information, please call:  Stephanie Bunker, OCHA- New York, tel.:  +1 917 367 5126, mobile:  +1 917 892 1679; Kristen Knutson, OCHA- New York, tel.:  +1 917 367 9262; Elizabeth Byrs, OCHA-Geneva, tel.:  +41 22 917 2653, mobile:  +41 79 473 4570.

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For information media • not an official record