Central America humanitarian emergency is only just beginning, UN deputy humanitarian affairs chief warns

(New York, 5 November 2011): The region-wide humanitarian emergency caused by last month’s devastating floods in Central America is only just beginning, the UN's deputy Humanitarian Affairs chief Catherine Bragg has warned.

“The people affected by this crisis have lost everything, and their difficulties are only just beginning,” Ms Bragg said, as she wrapped up a 4-day visit to Nicaragua and El Salvador, two countries badly hit in the crisis zone. “Hundreds of thousands of people face a struggle for survival over the next six months. We must act now. We cannot let the people of El Salvador and Nicaragua down.”

Up to 300,000 people fled the floods in El Salvador during the peak of the rains in October, and the homes and livelihoods of 143,000 people have been affected by heavy rains in Nicaragua. Thousands of homes have been damaged, possessions destroyed and hundreds of schools, roads and health facilities are closed.

Ordinary people are suffering from water borne diseases, and children are not attending school. Water wells are contaminated, and thousands of acres of crops just ready to be harvested have been destroyed, raising serious concerns that people who live off the land have lost their stocks.

“I saw farmers in San Carlos Lempa, on the coast of El Salvador, whose maize crops had been completely destroyed,” said Ms Bragg. “In Nicaragua I met a couple who were getting ready to move to higher ground, taking down their house, as parts of Tipitapa where they live are flooded by the rising water of Lake Managua. The international community needs to step in and support the people of El Salvador and Nicaragua so they can reap the next harvest in 2012.

” The governments and peoples of Nicaragua and of El Salvador mobilized emergency responders immediately after the floods, and have succeeded in minimizing the loss of lives. But the cumulative effect of annual catastrophic events has pushed national capacities to their limit. The UN is mobilizing international assistance to complement government action, and last week launched emergency appeals for both countries.

But the $14m appeal for Nicaragua is currently only 22 per cent funded, while the $15m appeal for El Salvador is only 23 per cent funded. “The needs are real, and the situation could get worse if we do not step in now,” said Ms Bragg. “I hope donors will give generously to these appeals.”