Floods cover 10% of El Salvador
Ten days of torrential rain have flooded 10% of El Salvador
Land and mud slides have threatened hundreds of communities
More than 51,000 people have been forced from their homes and into shelters
Emergency supplies being handed to families. Plan has already distributed US$120,000 of aid
A man clearing mud from his family home
24 October 2011: Plan is stepping up its response to help families in El Salvador after 10 days of rains have flooded 10% of the country. According to official reports, the disaster is one of the largest in the country’s history.
El Salvador has been hit the hardest by rains which have swept Central America and affected more than 1,000,000 people. Some 1,500 millimetres of water – the equivalent of the country’s entire rainy season – has fallen in just over a week.
Thirty four people have died and more than 51,600 people have been forced to evacuate their homes and seek refuge in 585 shelters. Some 20,000 dwellings have been destroyed, crops have been lost and severe damage has been inflicted to national infrastructure.
Hygiene kits and shelters
Plan has allocated an initial US$250,000 to provide first response care to more than 4,500 people in the most affected municipalities of La Libertad, San Salvador, Chalatenango, Cabañas and Cuscatlan.
So far, Pan has distributed more than US$120,000 in hygiene kits, medicines and other protective measures for children housed in temporary shelters in areas where Plan works.
Plan is also trying to raise additional funds to start executing projects for livelihood recovery, to help thousands of families who were just beginning to rebuild their sources of income after the 2009 and 2010 storms.
Disaster risk reduction
Thanks to Plan’s training and efforts in disaster risk reduction, the local government of Comasagua successfully evacuated 350 people in landslide-hit San Antonio, with the support of communal and youth civil protection committees.
This community was an example of solidarity during the storm Ida, when it opened its doors and resources to support its neighbouring communities.
Find out more about Plan’s response to the Central America floods in El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala.
Read about Plan’s work in El Salvador
