Honduras (MNN) — Honduras is under a state of emergency due to unusually heavy rains
that caused widespread flooding and mudslides. Over 270,000 people have been displaced in a region barely recovered
from Hurricane Mitch.
Myles Fish with International
Aid says ten years ago, they were there responding to the
needs. Friends made then have asked for
help once more. "We've got people
on the ground there now who are helping us become more specific in what the
needs are. Our first attempts will be with healthcare supplies, some food, and
we're sending our water filters down because we've heard that many of the
water systems have been broken." There are concerns that waterborne diseases would impact
the most at-risk in the communities: the children.
Aid workers are warning that the flooding is likely to worsen
the impact on the region's vulnerable communities. With damaged roads and bridges, and
thousands of hectares of bean and maize crops devastated, there's the threat of
isolation until repairs can be made.
This disaster has made a bad situation even worse. Millions of poor people in the region were
already struggling to buy food as the price of basic staples like corn and beans
rose to record levels earlier this year. Without a harvest, there are questions about
how people will survive the winter without international help.
Fish
explains that as they respond to these desperate needs, joint efforts like theirs
are making it possible for the Gospel to reach further. "It's really our
hope that whatever support and relief we provide to people will be provided in
the name of Christ, and literally at the hand of members of a local Christian
church. If you're on the ground there and you're a recipient, you can't help
but know that what's being done by International Aid through the local church
is being done in the name of Christ."
