Humanitarian agencies seek $17 million to help flood survivors in Honduras

(New York, October 30 2008): United Nations agencies and non-governmental organisations today requested more than $17 million to fund emergency relief projects for hundreds of thousands of people affected by severe floods in Honduras following torrential rainfall brought on by a tropical depression.

The requested funding will support projects proposed by 9 United Nations agencies, the International Organization for Migration, and Plan International, in coordination with the Government of Honduras to benefit, over a period of six months, an estimated 271,000 people affected by floods. The projects are designed to meet the basic needs of those affected by providing them with food aid, shelter, health care, water and sanitation. Some of the funding would be used for emergency logistics and early recovery projects.

Since 13 October, Honduras has been lashed by heavy precipitation as a result of Tropical Depression 16. Seventeen of the country's 18 departments have been affected. Torrential rainfall caused rivers to swell and in some areas to change their courses. The resulting flooding and landslides have caused loss of life and injuries. Authorities have categorized 57,681 people as severely affected, meaning they have lost both their shelter and their livelihoods and require immediate humanitarian assistance.

Some 72,085 hectares of crops have been lost, and the infrastructure has suffered extensive damage. The southern and western regions of the country, which have some of the poorest economic, health and nutrition indicators, have been particularly hard hit. Living conditions for some of the most vulnerable communities will remain precarious for several months, and failure to intervene with assistance could lead to extreme poverty and worsening malnutrition.

For further information, please call: Stephanie Bunker OCHA-New York, +1 917 367 5126, mobile +1 917 892 1679; Nicholas Reader OCHA-New York, +1 212 963 4961, mobile +1 646 7523 117; John Nyaga, OCHA-New York, + 1 917 367 9262 mobile +1 917 318 8917; Elisabeth Byrs OCHA-Geneva, +41 22 917 2653, mobile, +41 79 473 4570. OCHA press releases are available at http://ochaonline.un.org or www.reliefweb.int.