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Honduras

IA funnels storm relief to Honduras

International Aid is planning to ship healthcare supplies and HydrAid™ household water filters to villages in Honduras devastated by tropical storms that have pounded the Central American nation for the past two weeks.

At least 33 people have died and more than 270,000 are homeless in rural regions of Honduras due to mudslides and flooding. Honduran President Manuel Zelaya declared a national state of emergency last week, and International Aid's field staff in the country report that conditions are similar to those caused by Hurricane Mitch in 1998.

"The non-stop storms over the last two weeks have destroyed houses, roads, bridges and crops," said Rony Meza, Field Director for International Aid in Honduras.

Unlike Hurricane Mitch, which claimed 10,000 lives, the current devastation in Honduras is going largely unreported by the world's media outlets. Honduras is a destination country for many church mission groups and Rotarians from West Michigan.

"We have people on the ground who are helping us become more targeted and specific in addressing the needs of the displaced people," said Myles D. Fish, International Aid's President and CEO. "We already committed $10,000 for desperately needed supplies, and we committed to send another 1,000 of our HydrAid™ filters to Honduras because we've learned that many water systems have been broken in the mudslides.

International Aid has worked in Honduras since 1998 and has its field office in the capital city of Tegucigalpa.

Donations for Honduran relief may be made securely on the International Aid website at www.InternationalAid.org or by calling the toll-free donor line at 1-800-251-2502.

Media contact: Bruce Buursma
Director of Communications
buursmab@internationalaid.org
Office: (616) 935-3624
Cell: (616) 502-9834