Brussels, 07/09/2007 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has earmarked €1 million emergency humanitarian aid for the victims of Hurricane Felix in Nicaragua. The scale of the devastation was so enormous that the decision was taken only two days after the hurricane hit Central America (sweeping across the eastern Caribbean before reaching Nicaragua and Honduras).
This immediate aid from ECHO's budget (the European Commission's humanitarian aid department) will provide drinking water and basic water purification, temporary shelter, healthcare, food aid, blankets, clothing and washkits for people in the north of the country, along with logistics, transport and telecommunications.
According to initial information sent in by ECHO experts in Managua (where ECHO's regional information office is located) and humanitarian partner organisations in the field, at least 40,000 people were victims of the hurricane. Some 200 people are missing, and more than 9,000 houses have been destroyed or seriously damaged. It is difficult to reach some regions so the true extent of the emergency needs has yet to be established. Assessments are still being carried out and the Commission is prepared to increase the financial aid if necessary.
The Commission points out that the human cost of the hurricane could well have been more severe. Emergency committees set up under the disaster preparation aid scheme funded by ECHO (DIPECHO) were able to inform people in time and organise evacuations.
Hurricane Felix moved on from Nicaragua to Honduras where it was not as disastrous as initially feared a few days earlier. ECHO's regional office is closely monitoring the hurricane as it moves across Central America, and is assessing the damage. (an)