HURRICANE FELIX
Emergency Alert — Updated September 13, 2007
You can help
our local partners
provide needed assistance.
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Background:
Hurricane Felix slammed into the Nicaragua coast on the morning of Tuesday, September 4, as the second Category 5 hurricane of the season. Nicaragua bore the brunt of the hurricane, with winds of up 160mph. Neighboring Honduras was hit mainly by flooding.
More than 50,000 people have been displaced or left homeless. The initial death toll was believed to be low, unfortunately as search and rescue teams continue to work the number of deaths has neared one hundred and many people are still missing.
Emergency aid has been flown into Puerto Cabezas - mainly from other Central American countries - but food and fuel remain scarce. The UN's World Food Programme has sent nearly five tons of food aid, with supplies also arriving from as far away as Japan.
| LWR AND PARTNERS ARE HELPING |
During the emergency phase, LWR is working with local partners, members of the Action by Churches Together (ACT) coalition, in three different communities in the Northern Atlantic Autonomous Region (RANN) in Nicaragua. 256 families will receive food and non-food supplies as well as water purification tablets.
A longer-term rehabilitation program will likely be established once the emergency phase has passed, to assist people with rebuilding livelihoods.
LWR and ACT also plan to respond in Honduras and are currently assessing needs there.
The best way to assist people caught in an emergency is to give cash so that our partner staff on the ground can be most effective.
To contribute online, click below. You will be given the opportunity to choose “Central America Disaster Response” for your contribution.
Your gift will be used to respond to the “Central America Disaster Response” until needs there are met. After that, further gifts will be used to help LWR respond where the need is greatest. Please also consider making an unrestricted donation which will enable LWR to respond quickly to the next emergency.
During regular business hours, Monday through Friday, you may also call 1-800-LWR-LWR-2, or mail a check or money order to:
Lutheran World Relief -
Central America Disaster Response
P.O. Box 17061
Baltimore, MD 21298-9832
USA
MEDIA CONTACT:
Emily Sollie, 410-230-2802 (office), 202-320-7400 (cell), esollie@lwr.org
Lutheran World Relief is a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), individuals and parish groups in international relief, development, advocacy and social responsibility. LWR is a member of Action by Churches Together.
