September 05, 2007, Baltimore, MD
- Catholic Relief Services (CRS), in coordination with its local Caritas partners in Central America, has launched response to Hurricane Felix aimed at helping the thousands of homeless and displaced in Honduras and Nicaragua. As the hurricane's path shifts, CRS staff in El Salvador are prepared with emergency relief supplies to aid those in the most devastated areas.
Felix made landfall Tuesday morning as a category 5 hurricane around 8 a.m. Eastern time in northeastern Nicaragua. Felix has weakened rapidly, and is now a tropical depression centered near Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Heavy rain, flooding and potential mudslides will continue to be an issue with Felix and its remnants over the next day or two over the mountainous terrain of Central America.
In Nicaragua, a total of 30,000 people are estimated to be affected and 13,500 persons were evacuated. Approximately 3,000 were either unreachable or unwilling to evacuate and up to five people are reported to have been killed.
The CRS response in Nicaragua will focus on the Waspam area, northern Matagalpa, and northern Jinotega where it is currently carrying out risk mitigation and agricultural rehabilitation activities. Depending on the course of the storm, Jinotega, Matagalpa, and Estelí are areas where CRS and its partners have strong on-the-ground presence and capacity to provide emergency and rehabilitation assistance. Immediate needs include the distribution of emergency rations, essential non-food items, and plastic sheeting for temporary shelter, all of which were pre-positioned in CRS warehouses.
CRS disaster relief experts in Nicaragua are expecting their short-term financial needs to rise to nearly $100,000 in order to adequately respond to this crisis. A longer-term response may be needed for housing repair and reconstruction and agricultural support to families affected by lost crops and livelihood.
In Honduras, CRS had pre-positioned emergency supplies - water, cooking kits, mattresses, and sheets - in three separate locations throughout the country, available as needed in the beginning phase of the relief effort. CRS will focus its response in the areas of Colon and Olancho, and depending on the impact of the storm in and around the capital Tegucigalpa, CRS will coordinate an emergency response with the Archdiocese of Tegucigalpa, which has its own supply of materials and warehouses from which to distribute. Heavy rains are expected in the region and the potential for mudslides and severe flooding remains a concern.
Disaster relief experts in Central America are available for interviews. Please contact Elizabeth Griffin at 410-951-7361 or egriffin@crs.org to schedule an interview.
How to Help:
Donate via phone: 1-877-HELP-CRS
Donate online: www.crs.org
Write a check: Catholic Relief Services
P.O. Box 17090
Baltimore, Maryland 21203-7090
Memo portion of check: Hurricane Felix
Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the U.S. Catholic community. The agency provides assistance to people in 98 countries and territories based on need, regardless of race, nationality or creed.
Contact
Elizabeth Griffin
Director of Communications
Baltimore, MD
410 951 7361
egriffin@crs.org