Communities in Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala have been hit by the Category 5 Hurricane Felix, which struck the Caribbean coast of central America from Tuesday to Thursday this week.

Plan emergency teams have been mobilized and are working closely with partners in civil defence, municipal government, and local and international organizations to assess the situation and ensure the needs of children and their families are met.

Media are reporting 98 deaths in Nicaragua and Honduras with many more people missing. No Plan communities, however, appear to have suffered any loss of life.

Plan staff are continuing assessments of the affected areas and will provide further updates as information becomes available.

Nicaragua

There are no sponsored children living in the affected area of Nicaragua.

However, the storm did cause damage in an area where Plan has carried out program activities so staff have an in-depth knowledge of the area and are well positioned to provide assistance to children and their families. More than 80% of the population in this area live in extreme poverty so is expected that the need for assistance will be great.

Honduras

Plan is actively gathering information and will report more details as they become available.

Guatemala

By the time Felix crossed the Honduran-Guatemalan border during the early morning Wednesday, it was downgraded to a tropical depression. Today skies are clear, the rain has stopped and the principal river, Motagua, is slowly returning to pre-storm levels.

No deaths or injuries have been reported across Plan communities in Guatemala but two municipalities that Plan works in have been affected by the heavy rain: Los Amates and Morales.

In Los Amates, 12 communities have been isolated by mudslides and overflowing rivers, which are impeding access. Plan is communicating with these communities by telephone but no homes have been reported as significantly damaged. The local banana plantations, however, which provide employment to people in nearby communities, have halted work and are on standby while the Río Motagua goes down to normal levels.

In Morales, 22 communities have been isolated by mudslides and overflowing rivers, and some homes have been water damaged. Shelters were organized in two communities, where Plan delivered potable water for 200 families.

Plan staff are continuing to participate in local disaster-relief coordination efforts and are unable to provide news on individual sponsored children at this time.

Please continue to visit this website for updates on the situation in affected communities.