Latin America & The Caribbean Weekly Situation Update as of 8 November 2024

KEY FIGURES

950K+ people in El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua potentially in need of food assistance

420K children affected by drought in Brazil, Colombia and Peru

21K people evacuated in western Cuba due to Hurricane Rafael

CENTRAL AMERICA: FOOD SECURITY

By October 2024, most rural poor households across the El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua will face Moderate Food Insecurity (IPC Phase 2). Their food situation may improve from October 2024 to February 2025 with seasonal harvests and increased demand for labor. However, conditions will worsen in March 2025 as the annual lean season begins. Between 950,000 and 1.5 million people will need food assistance in these countries, especially from March onward as seasonal jobs decrease. Crisis-level (IPC Phase 3) pockets exist where pest outbreaks, disease, and heavy rains have reduced subsistence crops, forcing affected households to rely heavily on purchases.

REGIONAL: DROUGHT

In Mexico, the Governor of Chihuahua and the Civil Protection Council declared a state-wide drought emergency, affecting 3.8 million people in 67 municipalities. This measure aims to ensure water for homes and businesses as the drought threatens livelihoods, local economies, and the 2025 agricultural cycle in Mexico’s fourth-largest food-producing state.

In South America, UNICEF estimates that severe drought in Brazil, Colombia, and Peru is affecting about 420,000 children. Record-low river levels across the Amazon limit access to essential supplies, healthcare, and schooling, especially for riverside and indigenous communities. In Brazil, low water has closed over 1,700 schools and 760 health centers. In Colombia, river drops up to 80 per cent have suspended classes at more than 130 schools, raising risks to children’s safety and health. In Peru’s Loreto region, drought and wildfires have isolated healthcare facilities and worsened air pollution.

CARIBBEAN: HURRICANE RAFAEL

UN teams in Cuba are supporting national authorities after Hurricane Rafael struck western Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane on 6 November, shortly after Hurricane Oscar hit the east. The Government evacuated 21,000 people in Pinar del Río and activated shelters in Artemisa, Havana, and Matanzas – areas previously affected by Ian in 2022 - due to severe housing and infrastructure damage across the west and central provinces. Air operations are paused until at least 7 November, with schools closed until 11 November.

Rafael also affected Panama as a tropical storm on 2 November. UN emergency teams provided water, hygiene kits, non-food items, transportation and technical support after flooding, which led to five deaths, affected 2,000 people and displaced 400. Authorities will assess agricultural damage on 9 November as alerts lower.

COLOMBIA: CONFINEMENT

More than 2,000 people from Valdivia (Antioquia) have been confined since 3 November due to intensified clashes involving three non-state armed groups (NSAG). An additional 30 people have been displaced, seeking safety in a rural school. The use of improvised explosives and the presence of anti-personnel mines (APMs) are disrupting daily life, restricting mobility, access to education, and impacting mental health and livelihoods in rural communities. The Antioquia Local Coordination Team (LCT) is working with authorities to assess the most urgent needs.