Report No. 44 of 1998 Date: 6 November 1998>From Manuel Aranda da Silva, Chief, Technical Support Service. Available on the Internet on the WFP Home Page at http://www.wfp.org/ or by electronic mail from Deborah.Hicks@wfp.org (fax 39 06 6513 2837). For information on resources, donors are requested to contact Aleesa.Blum@wfp.org or Marius.deGaayFortman@wfp.org at WFP Rome, telephone 39 06 6513 2004 or 06 6513 2250. The address of WFP is Via Cesare Giulio Viola 68, Parco dei Medici, 00148 Rome, Italy. Contact names regarding the Central America operation are given below.
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SUPPLEMENT TO EMERGENCY REPORT NO 44:
The information below is based on a news release from the WFP Managua office issued on 8 November 1998: "Facts on Hurricane Mitch in Central America", with the addition of information updated 9 November on the coming appeal.
CENTRAL AMERICA: IMPACT OF HURRICANE MITCH ON HONDURAS, NICARAGUA, GUATEMALA AND EL SALVADOR
Regional - information as of 9 November
Hurricane Mitch swept across several Central American countries early in the week of 27 October, then became stationary off the Caribbean coast of Honduras, resulting in torrential rains, flooding, landslides and winds of different intensities. Up to three million people have been affected by the hurricane, the worst natural disaster to hit Latin America in 200 years. The destruction of housing, agriculture, and infrastructure is on an unprecedented scale. Damage to highways, roads, bridges, electricity, water and sewage systems, communications systems, housing and schools are all major problems.
The UN World Programme (WFP) was the first agency on the ground in Nicaragua providing emergency food. WFP has been providing food to local populations in the region for more than thirty years through programmes designed to develop local agriculture and infrastructure. WFP has begun widespread food distribution, using both trucks and helicopters, to the thousands of hurricane victims sheltered in schools, hospitals, tents and makeshift homes.
WFP is distributing over 11,000 tons of food, from in-country stocks, to 682,000 thousand victims in Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador, using food stocks from its development programmes to provide the emergency food. In order to meet the emergency needs, WFP is diverting vessels carrying food to non-emergency countries.
WFP will soon issue an emergency appeal to the international community for approximately USD 45 million (total food tonnage is over 100,000 tons) to feed over one million people for six months in the four affected Central American countries.
On Monday 9 November, WFP will deliver 30 tons of high energy biscuits (donated by Italy) to the most needy in Nicaragua and 20 tons of biscuits to Honduras. (Canada is providing the transportation).
Honduras
WFP is feeding 427,000 victims with 2,759 tons of in country food stock, predicted to last for ten days only.
It is estimated that more than 1,932,482 persons have been affected, 6,420 have died and 11,085 are missing. 76 bridges were destroyed and 100,000 homes demolished.
70 percent of the agricultural production was destroyed at a cost of USD 600 million.
Nicaragua
WFP is feeding 135,000 victims with 3,252 tons of in country food stock, predicted to last for four weeks.
It is estimated that more than 799,596 persons have been affected, 1,600 have died and 1,856 are missing. Over 176 bridges were destroyed and 2,500 kilometers of road severely damaged.
It is estimated that the damage to agricultural production is worth USD 52 million.
Guatemala
WFP is feeding 63,000 victims with 1,800 tons of in-country food stocks predicted to last for only fifteen days.
It is estimated that more than 82,021 persons have been affected, 228 have died and 18 are missing.
80 percent of the present crop of subsistence farmers has been lost and the large banana, coffee and sugar plantations have been affected.
El Salvador
WFP is feeding 57,000 victims with 3,279 tons of in-country food stocks predicted to last for two months.
It is estimated that more than 58,788 persons have been affected, 239 have died and 235 are missing.
Basic grains, sugar cane, cotton and other crops have suffered. It is estimated that 30 percent of coffee production - the main export source - was lost.
For more information please contact the following people:
Olga Moraga WFP Information Officer Managua, Nicaragua 011-505-266 3937 or 266-8044
Abby Spring WFP Information Officer New York 212/963-5196 In Managua/Hotel Intercontinental room 729 at 228-3530
Francisco Roque Castro WFP Regional Director, Latin America & Caribbean Managua, Nicaragua 011-505-266-2566
World Food Programme Programa Mundial de Alimentos Programme Alimentaire Mondial La Organizaci
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