HIGHLIGHTS:

• GUATEMALA: 1,520 people affected by rains, 90 evacuated and 70 in shelters.

• ECUADOR: Lack of rain is affecting several regions in Loja, with an estimated 80 per cent in crops losses.

• GUATEMALA: Red alert in the department of Peten for fires, authorities are combating 12 forest fires.

HIGHLIGHTS:

 COLOMBIA: 1,100 people affected by heavy rains and winds in 9 departments. 227 houses damaged.

 PERU: Several departments in Arequipa under a state of emergency. 176,000 people affected in this rainy season.

 HONDURAS: Green alert for seismic activity. Several earthquakes felt of up to 5.2 degrees

HIGHLIGHTS:

• COLOMBIA: 56,770 people affected by floods in Choco. 540 houses are damaged and communities are isolated.

• BOLIVIA: the 2013 rainy season has left 32,000 people homeless and 25 dead.

• PERU: 200 people affected and 7 missing from flooding in Huanuco.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• BOLIVIA: 13,000 people affected by rains in La Paz. 107,500 people affected nationwide.

• PERU: More than 100,000 people affected by rains. Some 4,200 people are homeless.

• MEXICO: Authorities on alert as 37 per cent of the territory affected by drought.

Key messages

• The Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Department, ECHO, has supported South America for the last two decades, providing funds to assist the people most affected by disasters in the region: earthquakes, floods, landslides, droughts, cold waves, volcanic eruptions and epidemics.

Thousands of people are still dealing with the hurricane's effects, especially in Cuba where a lack of funding is hampering the response.

“Pounds of Prevention” is a series of short articles that illustrate how disaster risk reduction works and why it is important. Take a behind-the-scenes look at aid work in action, long before the disaster occurs. How is that possible? Read on!

Focus: Paraguay

By Fabiola Ortiz

VALPARAÍSO, Chile , Nov 26 2012 (IPS) - The hunger suffered by 49 million people in Latin America could be eradicated by 2025, according to Spanish agricultural engineer Ricardo Rapallo.

Summary: 299,775 Swiss francs were allocated from the IFRC’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) on 18 April 2012 to support the Paraguayan Red Cross (PRC) in delivering assistance to some 1,525 families in the department of Boquerón. The operation closed with a total expenditure of 296,766 Swiss francs, with a final balance of 3,009 Swiss francs unspent and returned to the DREF fund.