Honduras (MNN) — The rain has stopped, but the skies over
Honduras remain cold and gray. Intense flooding has killed 23 people, displaced
hundreds of thousands and destroyed over 100 acres of bean and maize crops. Compassion
International's church partners have been providing food and shelter for
sponsored children and their families, as well as distributing bedding,
clothing, and food supplies.
The lack of a harvest coming on top of sky-high food prices
has intensified the desperation and need for international aid. United Nations agencies and their NGO
partners have appealed for more than $17 million over the next six months to provide
aid to those affected by the flooding. These funds would provide food, shelter,
health care, water and sanitation, as well as supporting emergency logistics
and early recovery projects.
"Living conditions for some of the most vulnerable
communities will remain precarious for several months," warned the UN Office
for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). "Failure to intervene with
assistance could lead to extreme poverty and worsening malnutrition."
Heavy rains triggered by a tropical depression earlier this
month caused rivers to swell and spurred on the relentless flooding. Severe
damage has been inflicted on infrastructure, and while the central and western
regions of Honduras were affected, those in the north were hardest hit. Some
Compassion-assisted child development centers were affected by the flooding,
and the children in those centers were evacuated.
