Country: Honduras
Name and type of operation: PRRO
10444.0
Reporting period: 15 / 09/ 08
to 104 / 10 / 08
Date of report: 16th of October
2008
1. Description of the last Floods Events:
Even no major climatic events are affecting the country during the period; some small emergency are affecting the country. Pipeline breakdowns and no confirmed contributions to the regional PRRO are making difficult to the Country Office to respond in a timely and efficient way.
Brief description of on-going emergencies:
1.1. Floods and landslides: Heavy rain left by a tropical wave caused floods in both Southern and Central regions of Honduras. A lot small emergencies are occurring along the country, as Flood in Olancho, El Paraiso, and others municipalities located in the Sula Valley, mainly Potrerrillos, Pimienta and San Manuel. Flood had been also reported in el Negrito, Yoro.
1.2. Tropical Depression 16: Tropical Depression 16 remains disorganized and inland moving west-southwest at 7 mph over northern Honduras. As a result of T.D. 16 staying over land, no further strengthening is anticipated and the system will likely degenerate into a remnant low over next couple of days. However, the primary threat from the system is the heavy rain, flash flooding and mudslides in Honduras.
The National Contingency Commission (COPECO), had declared yellow alert on the Departments of Islas de la Bahía, Gracias a Dios, Colón, Olancho, Yoro, Atlántida y Cortés; where accumulated rainfall had reached between 40 a 80 millimeters of rainfall in the last 12 hours. Some 100 accumulated millimeters are expected in 24 hours, reaching until 180 millimeters in the hilly areas. A green alert was declared for the rest of the country.
The departments of Colon and Atlantida had been incommunicated because of increase in the level of the rivers. Floods had been also reported on the lowland of Choluteca, where WFP is
1.3. Drought conditions and high prices had increased food and nutritional insecurity in the southern region of Honduras. An 8.2 percent of children under five are suffering from moderate or severe acute malnutrition (6.3 moderate, 1.9 severe). This represents more than 6 percentage points above the national average (1.8 percent), and more than 3 points above the minimum emergency level (5.0 percent) determined by United Nations to trigger emergency operations. The percentage found is higher than the acute malnutrition rate of 2007, and triples the 2006 and 2005 figures in the same area.