We thought things were starting to improve for many people in Honduras, as crops started to grow, when hurricane Eta visited last week. It has already caused flooding, landslides and major roads and bridges destroyed. The supply line from the port in the north down to Tegucigalpa is easily disrupted especially as the road wraps around the mountain range and down into the capital.
Looking at the rivers and flooding it is very reminiscent of hurricane Mitch which caused such devastation twenty years ago and there is still a lot of rain to come in the next two days.
The latest news from Honduras is a bit better than we expected. Sadly, the north has been devastated by floods, way up to the top of the houses. Many have had to be rescued off the tops of their roofs. The government and rescue services had learnt lessons from hurricane Mitch (1998) and they were much better prepared. They used private as well as military helicopters to rescue people from the floods. Boats also came into their own. Many have lost everything, including their jobs, as the crops in this agricultural region have been destroyed.
Thankfully the Valle area and the capital, Tegucigalpa, have faired better. Flood damage is more localised in nature and the problems in general less severe than in the north. Cesar has also been in touch with the Lencas and Tolupan people. They are all safe, living high in the mountains, but have lost the crops on which they depend. They will desperately need our food bags. At the moment they can only be reached with a four by four vehicle. The lorry we mostly use to haul up the usual 1000 food bags is not capable of coping with the conditions.
Cesar’s project this week is to get cloth masks made for distribution to those who cannot afford to buy one. The packs he is preparing will also contain a bar of soap for hand washing and some clorus gel for their drinking water and disinfecting purposes.
Food parcels will then be the next challenge, as roads will have been washed away and streams that can usually be forded by a car are now impassable due to the depth of water.
Some more news came in last night. The church that runs the feeding centre on the north coast, near La Cieba, are all safe and well. Some are patching up walls that they lost to the wind but nothing worse. Choloma has been hit hard with flooding but the people we know and their church congregation are all safe. Unfortunately, some have lost their homes.
Covid 19 and Eta have brought unemployment to many people and the torrential rain has destroyed crops in the gardens and fields. It goes without saying that the people in Honduras are very grateful for your help. Thank you for your prayers and donations. We will make a difference during the next few months. Please keep the people of Honduras in your prayers as they struggle with problems that are so huge that we cannot imagine their impact.
God Bless