Broll / 2:58 / MP4 / 219 MB
Download Embed

15-12-2020 | Latest News , Americas

Cruz Roja: La respuesta humanitaria a los huracanes Eta e Iota es una de las más desafiantes enfrentada por América Central en décadas

ENG ESP

Panamá / Ginebra, 14 de diciembre de 2020 - Un mes después de que los huracanes Eta e Iota azotaran a Centroamérica y Colombia afectando a más de 7.5 millones de personas, la Federación Internacional de Sociedades de la Cruz Roja y de la Media Luna Roja (IFRC) advierte que millones de personas siguen necesitando atención humanitaria inmediata ante lo que se ha convertido en uno de los desastres más desafiantes que ha enfrentado la región en su historia reciente.

La IFRC y las Sociedades Nacionales de la Cruz Roja están abordando las necesidades más urgentes de más de 100.000 personas a través de siete operaciones humanitarias simultáneas en Colombia, Belice, Costa Rica, Panamá, Guatemala, Nicaragua y Honduras. La situación es especialmente grave en Nicaragua, Honduras y Guatemala, donde más de 6 millones de personas se han visto afectadas por fuertes lluvias, inundaciones y deslizamientos de tierra. Las evaluaciones en profundidad de los daños y las necesidades siguen en marcha, pero los resultados de todas las evaluaciones rápidas realizadas hasta ahora muestran un panorama humanitario sombrío tanto a corto como a mediano plazo.

Felipe del Cid, jefe de la unidad de respuesta a desastres de la IFRC en las Américas, dijo: “Millones de personas todavía necesitan apoyo humanitario inmediato: refugio, atención médica, apoyo psicosocial, acceso a alimentos, agua potable, saneamiento e instalaciones de higiene. Estamos hablando de un gran desastre, que agrava una combinación ya devastadora a causa del COVID-19, y de la pobreza y la desigualdad en la región. Estas crisis superpuestas están haciendo de nuestra operación una de las más complejas que jamás hayamos montado. El apoyo de la comunidad internacional es urgente para proteger vidas y medios de subsistencia”.

El 8 de noviembre, la IFRC lanzó un llamamiento de emergencia por 20 millones de francos suizos para ayudar a 75.000 de las personas más afectadas en Guatemala, Honduras y Nicaragua durante al menos 18 meses. Actualmente, con solo el 58% de financiación, el llamamiento se centra en reconstruir y reparar refugios dañados, mejorar el acceso a agua potable y las instalaciones de saneamiento e higiene, abordar las necesidades de salud -incluidas las medidas de prevención de COVID-19- y proporcionar apoyo psicosocial. La operación también abordará las consecuencias a mediano plazo, como el impacto de los huracanes en los medios de vida y el desplazamiento.

“Eta e Iota acabaron con el ganado, destruyeron herramientas de trabajo, arrasaron con cosechas y áreas agrícolas, y afectaron lugares turísticos populares en una región que ya enfrentaba una crisis económica relacionada con el COVID-19 y donde los ingresos de miles de familias ya estaban severamente reducidos. Las personas corren el riesgo de recurrir a estrategias de sobrevivencia que aumentarían su vulnerabilidad, como vender sus animales y propiedades, comer menos y abandonar sus hogares para buscar nuevas formas de generar ingresos”, agregó del Cid.

La historia ha demostrado que los huracanes pueden causar desplazamientos, ya que la pérdida de viviendas y medios de vida alimenta el desempleo y conduce a un mayor movimiento de personas hacia los centros urbanos. Eta e Iota también representan un desafío para las poblaciones retornadas. En Guatemala y Honduras, algunas de las áreas más afectadas también han acogido a grandes grupos de personas retornadas cuyas travesías no terminaron como esperaban. En esas zonas las cifras de desempleo, pobreza y vulnerabilidad ya eran altas debido al COVID-19 y muy probablemente se deteriorarán debido a Eta e Iota.

Para mayor información o acordar entrevistas, por favor contacte a:

In Panama: Susana Arroyo Barrantes, susana.arroyo@ifrc.org , + 506 8416 1771

In Honduras: Johannes Chinchilla, rrcomms.honduras@ifrc.org , +504 99031797

In Geneva: Rebecca Cole, rebecca.cole@ifrc.org  +41 79 245 56 80

 


Videos (5)
Broll / 2:58 / 219 MB
Broll / 9:04 / 163.8 MB
Broll / 1:25 / 105.1 MB
Broll / 2:21 / 174.6 MB
Broll / 4:02 / 298.5 MB
Documents (2)
VisitaReina.LaLima.Fotos
20201213 Eta Iota 1 month PR SP
Photos (46)
Preventing the spread of COVID-19 is at the centre of our response and is an enormous challenge of this emergency. A huge part of the immediate response efforts has been to keep communities, as well as Red Cross volunteers and staff, protected. We are implementing all necessary prevention measures and urgently providing people with clean water and hygiene kits to help facilitate and encourage prevention measures, such as hand washing. Credits EtaIota_Covid3: Panamanian Red Cross
Panamanian Red Cross will support 3,000 people in Chiriqui and Veraguas in the areas of health, water and sanitation, shelter, and protection, gender, and inclusion. Credits: Panamanian Red Cross
Within the IFRC Emergency Appeal and for at least 18 months, the Honduran Red Cross will assist a total of 50,000 people from the departments of Cortés, Colón, Santa Barbara, Atlantis, El Paraíso, Olancho, and Choluteca. The operation is focused on families who have seen their livelihoods directly affected by the emergency; indigenous communities; communities with high poverty rates; households with vulnerable people (under 5 years of age, seniors, people with disabilities, chronically ill, pregnant women); single-headed households; and, families who have not benefited from other institutions in similar actions. Credits: Canadian Red Cross
Preventing the spread of COVID-19 is at the centre of our response and is an enormous challenge of this emergency. A huge part of the immediate response efforts has been to keep communities, as well as Red Cross volunteers and staff, protected. We are implementing all necessary prevention measures and urgently providing people with clean water and hygiene kits to help facilitate and encourage prevention measures, such as hand washing. Credits: Johannes Chinchilla / IFRC
In Nicaragua, 3 million people have been exposed to the impact of Eta and Iota. More than 160,000 people were evacuated, and more than 660 families remain sheltered, especially along the northern coast: Waspam, Prinzapolka, and Bilwi. Iota claimed 6 lives and has left 47,000 families with no access to water. 5,800 houses have been destroyed and another 38,000 have suffered partial damage. According to the Nicaraguan government, the economic value of all damages is USD 742 million, 6% of Nicaragua’s GDP. Credits: Nicaraguan Red Cross
There is a contamination of drinking water sources, including wells, dams, catchment areas, and river system in the communities flooded. Some 5,000 artisanal wells in the Izabal area and southern Peten were contaminated by flooding and some 50 community water systems were heavily affected. Animal deaths, sediment left by the flood and other debris, and some areas still under water represent a high risk of outbreaks of skin diseases, diarrhea, respiratory complications and diseases such as such as dengue, zika and chikungunya. Credits: Guatemalan Red Cross
The Guatemalan Red Cross activated its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at headquarters as well as its 20 delegations in response to Eta and later for the monitoring and response of Iota. 300 volunteers, 15 ambulances, 7 boats, 2 trucks and a drone were deployed for the emergency response. Credits: Guatemalan Red Cross
Since the first moment, Nicaraguan Red Cross provided preparation and evacuation support, rescue services, support to sheltered people, prehospital care, dissemination of prevention measures, psychosocial support and assessment of damage and needs. Credits: Nicaraguan Red Cross
In Honduras, 4 million people have been directly affected by Eta and Iota. After the passage of the hurricanes, more than 95,000 people have been sheltered in 1,000 centres. Food security and access to health care, clean water, and sanitation, as well as hygiene measures are still an immediate need. The most affected areas are Cortés, Yoro, Atlántida, Santa Bárbara, Olancho, Copán, Choluteca, Comayagua, and Colón. The government has requested international aid. Credits: Honduran Red Cross
In Colombia, the Red Cross is providing emergency care in the areas of health; water, sanitation, and hygiene; livelihoods and basic needs; protection, gender, and inclusion (including restoring family links) to 12,000 people affected by Hurricane Iota in the departments of San Andres, Providencia and Santa Catalina and Bolivar departments. Credits: Colombian Red Cross
In Honduras, 4 million people have been directly affected by Eta and Iota. After the passage of the hurricanes, more than 95,000 people have been sheltered in 1,000 centres. Food security and access to health care, clean water, and sanitation, as well as hygiene measures are still an immediate need. The most affected areas are Cortés, Yoro, Atlántida, Santa Bárbara, Olancho, Copán, Choluteca, Comayagua, and Colón. The government has requested international aid. Credits: Honduran Red Cross
Nicaraguan Red Cross is assessing the quality of water for human consumption and promoting access to safe water, especially for populations returning to their homes and those who have to remain in collective centers because their homes are damaged. This will prevent outbreaks and epidemics caused by post-flood conditions. Credits: Nicaraguan Red Cross
As of 21 November 2020, around 29,977 people received first aid and out-of-care medical attention in the context of the emergency, including 4,854 cases of water, air or land relief and rescue. In addition, the Honduran Red Cross is providing services including psychosocial support, restoring family links, delivery of hygiene and health care kits, WASH and provision of more than 4,000 food rations to families. Credits: Honduran Red Cross | Natalie Acosta
Costa Rica Red Cross will support 7500 people in Guanacaste and Puntarenas (Southern Pacific Region) in the areas of food security, water, sanitation and hygiene, and cash transfer to support reconstruction of damaged houses. Credits: Costa Rica Red Cross
An Emergency Clinic deployed by Canadian Red Cross was set up and will continue to operate under the command of the National Society supporting La Lima's network of health services. The Emergency Clinic is providing primary health care services for chronic, pregnant women, pharmacy, triage, emergency stabilization and referral of patients in the national health and psychosocial support system. Credits: Canadian Red CrossEtaIota
Damage to and interruptions in the water supply and sanitation system and the likely increase of favourable conditions for the proliferation of mosquitos and other vectors, in addition to the challenges posed to the epidemiological surveillance systems, raise serious concerns for outbreaks of waterborne and other water-related diseases, as well as vector borne diseases, like dengue or malaria. Credits: Guatemalan Red Cross
Guatemala Red Cross will support 10,000 people, especially in the most affected departments of Alta Verapaz and Izabal. According to national authorities, these two departments report the most severe damage to housing, the largest number of evacuees in official and non-official centres and reported the highest number of incidents related to Eta and Iota, such as floods and landslides. Credits: Guatemalan Red Cross
As of 21 November 2020, around 29,977 people received first aid and out-of-care medical attention in the context of the emergency, including 4,854 cases of water, air or land relief and rescue. In addition, the Honduran Red Cross is providing services including psychosocial support, restoring family links, delivery of hygiene and health care kits, WASH and provision of more than 4,000 food rations to families. Credits: Honduran Red Cross | Natalie Acosta
The situation in Guatemala remains critical. There are 2.4 million people affected of which 1.7 million need some form of humanitarian aid. Immediate priorities include access to clean water, sanitation, hygiene items, food security and nutrition, health, and shelter. The government has declared a state of emergency. Credits: Guatemalan Red Cross
Since the first moment, Nicaraguan Red Cross provided preparation and evacuation support, rescue services, support to sheltered people, prehospital care, dissemination of prevention measures, psychosocial support and assessment of damage and needs. Credits: Nicaraguan Red Cross
Download all photos
More Related News
Show more