HURRICANEs eta AND IOTA response

The Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) seeks donations to help communities affected by Hurricanes Eta and Iota in Central America. All contributions will support recovery and reconstruction efforts reaching the most vulnerable populations, including indigenous families displaced by the storms.

“We ask for your generosity in this time of greatest need,” said PADF Executive Director Katie Taylor. “These powerful storms have caused devastating damage across the region and displaced thousands of people who were already suffering with the health and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. With your support, PADF will help families rebuild their lives and regain a sense of normalcy.”

With millions of people across Central America already suffering from Eta’s destructive winds and torrential rains, the region faces a second major storm, Iota, just two weeks later. On November 3, 2020, Eta struck Central America as a Category 4 hurricane, delivering destructive winds and torrential rains. The storm forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes due to severe flooding, wind damage, and landslides in Honduras, Guatemala, and Nicaragua, in addition to Costa Rica, Belize, Mexico, Panama, and El Salvador. Just days later, on November 16, Iota made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane and followed a nearly identical path of destruction across Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, and Belize. Together, this dual threat has cut off power and access to food and clean drinking water, shelter, communications, and critical health services for already vulnerable people across the region.

Hurricanes Eta and Iota have brought torrential rains, severe floods, and landslides to Central America. More than 3 million people have been directly affected by the storms, including an estimated 2 million Hondurans and 300,000 Guatemalans. Additionally, over 50,000 people have been displaced from their homes and forced into shelters. Widespread destruction of infrastructure, electrical outages, water shortages, and crop losses, combined with the ongoing pandemic, point to a long road to recovery.

PADF has responded to many of the most severe disasters in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas (2019), the Volcán de Fuego eruption in Guatemala (2018), the earthquakes in Mexico (2017), Hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean (2017), and Hurricane Matthew in Haiti (2016). We work with communities, governments, and private sector partners to reduce risk, mitigate the impact of disastrous events when they occur, and carry out disaster recovery and reconstruction programs.