REDLAC Weekly Note on Emergencies: Latin America & The Caribbean - Year 2, Issue 129

This note is compiled for The Risk Emergency Disaster Working Group for Latin America and the Caribbean (REDLAC) by the OCHA Regional Office through disaster monitoring and input from our Regional Humanitarian partners. This note does not intend to be an analytical tool, but a summary paper of key facts and actions reported by sources. Activities carried in affected countries are not limited to the ones reported here. Please check with sources for further information. For input, feedback and suggestions send us an email to ocha-rolac@un.org

HIGHLIGHTS:

- PARAGUAY: The Parana River overflows its banks forcing the evacuation of 4,000 people.

- HAITI: Heavy rains in Carrefour damaged nearly 500 houses.

- HONDURAS: Approximately 4,000 cases of malaria have been recorded in Gracias a Dios.

FLOODS

PARAGUAY: Persistent rainfall has caused the overflow of the Parana River affecting at least 4,000 people. The most affected areas include Ciudad del Este (East City), Encarnacion and Ayolas. The National Emergency Secretariat met on 25 October with representatives from different institutions to coordinate joint tasks to facilitate humanitarian assistance.

Sources: La Nacion.

HAITI: Heavy rainfall has been affecting the community of Carrefour, a neighborhood south of the Haitian capital. The floods left 3 people deaths, 4 others missing, 500 houses damaged and 5 houses destroyed.

Sources: AFP.

HURRICANE SEASON 2009

MEXICO: Hurricane Rick was the second-most intense Pacific hurricane and the strongest recorded in October. On October 21, Rick quickly moved Northeast, brushing the tip of Baja California Sur before making landfall near Mazatlan with winds of 55 mph (90 km/h). Several hours after moving inland, the storm weakened to a tropical depression and dissipated. Overall, the damage from Rick was significantly less than what was initially anticipated. It is estimated that agricultural damages in El Rosario is of US$ 9 million.

Throughout Mexico, three people were killed by the storm, one in Oaxaca and two in Baja California Sur.

Sources: El Informador