from our friends at Alliance for Global Justice & Honduras Solidarity Network
Nicaragua and Central America just got slammed by the second hurricane in two weeks, with Hurricane Iota, a Category 4 storm the strongest in history to hit Nicaragua when it made landfall just 15 miles south of where Hurricane Eta made landfall only two weeks ago.
Honduras: The impacts of Hurricane Eta have devastated much of Honduras but particularly the northern and eastern areas of the country. Entire communities are flooded and according to government numbers, over 7,000 people have been forced to leave their homes or have had their homes totally destroyed. Thousands are seeking refuge in shelters inside schools, gymnasiums, municipal parks, houses of family and friends, etc.
Our assistance is needed: With the devastation already caused by Hurricane Eta (and Hurrican Iota, just 2 weeks later), the Honduras Solidarity Netowork is launching this fundraising campaign to raise money for community-based organizations affected by the storm. All money raised will go to these well established organizations already doing the work, climate disaster relief and organizing that is needed for a sustainable and effective response to the damages and urgent humanitarian crisis caused by the hurricane. Click here to donate through the Honduras Solidarity Network, a partner of IRTF Cleveland.
Why we should help: On November 4, the Honduran government declared a national emergency on top of the national emergency declared in March 2020 for the Covid-19 crisis. Before the hurricane and the pandemic hit Honduras, over 60% of Hondurans lived in poverty. Since Covid-19 started, many have lost their livelihood. The hurricane will just add to the poverty, misery, hunger, insecurity, and dire circumstances that so many Hondurans were already living.
Rising rivers like the Ulúa and Aguan river in north and northeastern Honduras have spilled over destroying crops, critical infrastructure such as bridges, roads, and worse, people’s homes and their entire livelihood.
Nicargua: Nicaragua was the most prepared country in the region for Iota. Fifty thousand people were evacuated from the danger zone, but two devastating hurricanes within two weeks would tax the resources of the wealthy nations, much less Nicaragua, the second poorest country in the hemisphere.
"Almost the entire country is in a national emergency, because it has been one hurricane after another, and this impacts all of Central America," President Daniel Ortega said, according to state media.
Our assistance is needed: The Alliance for Global Justice and allied solidarity groups are raising emergency funds through the existing Nicaragua Solidarity Fund “Padre Miguel D’Escoto Brockmann”. The hardest hit part of the country is the North Caribbean Autonomous Region, home to the Miskito and Mayagna people and the largest extant rainforest north of the Amazon. Both Eta and Iota made landfall just miles south of the regional capital of Bilwi/Puerto Cabezas.
Disaster officials estimate that 80,000 families have been uprooted or otherwise affected. Cellphone and other means of communication are largely cut off so there are no reports of deaths but the damage is catastrophic and widespread. Nicaragua is going to need help to rebuild. The US NICA Act has cut it off from most multilateral loans so it is up to you and me to help make up the difference. Please make a tax-deductible contribution today at https://bit.ly/nicaraguasolidarityfund or send a check to Alliance for Global Justice, 225 E 26th St., Ste. 1, Tucson, AZ 85713. Put “Nicaragua Hurricane Recovery” in the memo line.
OTHER RELIEF FUNDS
Food for the Poor is sending assistance to Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua .
Disciples of Christ Global Ministries
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance
United Church of Christ Disaster Ministries
United Methodist Church Global Ministries - Disaster Response
UNOCHA: United Nations Office for the Coordinator of Humanitarian Assistance
COUNTRY-SPECIFIC
El Salvador
CIS: Centro de Intercambio y Solidaridad
Guatemala
Guatemala Human Rights Commission - USA
NISGUA: Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala
Peace Brigades International - Guatemala
Santa Elena Accompaniment Project (Ohio)
Honduras
Nicaragua
Center for Development in Central America/Jubilee House
