Weekly News
The Federation has just launched an
appeal for 13.8 million Swiss Francs to tackle disasters caused by the
meteorological
phenomenon "El Niño" in Latin America. Part of the money will
be spent immediately on emergency food supplies and other
relief assistance for 80,000 people affected by droughts or floods in Honduras,
Panama, Ecuador and Peru. The Red Cross has initiated similar relief operations
in areas of Mexico where hurricanes have made thousands homeless, and in
Nicaragua where droughts have hit half of the country. "El Niño may
become the single greatest threat to the lives of hundreds of thousands
of people this year", says Santiago Gil, director of the Americas
department at the Secretariat in Geneva. "It is our duty not only
to deal with disasters after they happen, but also to prepare for and minimize
their consequences", he adds. The rest of the funds will allow the
stocking of more than 8,000 tonnes of food, roofing materials and blankets
to assist 600,000 people in Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador,
Panama, Nicaragua and Honduras.