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Honduras

ACT Appeal: Honduras tropical depression 16 - LAHD91

Attachments

Appeal Target: US$ 824,486

Total requested: US$ 501,877

Geneva, 15 January 2009

Dear Colleagues,

On 16 October 2008, Tropical Depression 16 made landfall in Central America and caused heavy rains from northern Costa Rica to Southern Mexico. The Northern, Western and Southern regions of Honduras were heavily hit by strong rains over several days. The Government of Honduras declared a state of emergency on 20 October and formally requested humanitarian assistance. A red alert was declared in the Departments of Copán and Ocotepeque, a yellow alert in Francisco Morazán and Cortes. Floods and landslides were registered throughout the affected regions, damaging and destroying houses, infrastructure and crops. An important number of families had to take refuge in shelters.

The Permanent Commission for Contingencies (COPECO) indicated a number of 34 deaths, 16 persons missing, 42,304 evacuated, 68,716 directly affected persons and a total of 12,429 inundated houses. A total of 101,107 ha of crops were affected. COPECO has been coordinating relief activities and distributed humanitarian aid through its regional emergency committees. The international response includes ongoing actions from United Nations organizations, the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO), the Red Cross, Oxfam, and others.

ACT members Christian Aid, Comisión Cristiana de Desarrollo, Dan Church Aid, Swiss Interchurch Aid (HEKS) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) responded to the crisis phase through ACT Rapid Response Fund number 31/2008 issued on 11 November 2008. The implementation was executed by ACT members' partners ADEPES, Vecinos Mundiales, CASM, OCDIH, ASONOG and CDH. The response included the distribution of food and non food items, hygiene kits, medicines and clothes.

The present appeal consists of a revised crisis phase of three months, which implementation is now almost finished, and a post-crisis phase to respond to the important needs in term of infrastructure and land rehabilitation. The rehabilitation phase specifically includes distribution of seeds, seedlings and tools for agriculture, rehabilitation of water tanks, fumigation and cleaning campaigns. Additionally, psychosocial training for community leaders, recreational activities for children and youth as well as disaster preparedness trainings aiming at a better recovery within the communities and reducing disaster risks in the future.