The European Commission intends granted €4 million humanitarian aid to assist people affected by floods in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua. The funding will provide the people at risk with food and medical care, shelter, clean water and sanitation.

€4 million from EU funds will be attributed by the European Commission so far to help victims of Central America floods. Some 100,000 of the most vulnerable people caught up in the affected areas will benefit, i.e. Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua. The Commission has taken this decision because of the heavy rains that broke over the region on 10th October, caused by a tropical depression. At least 105 people have been reported dead, with another 650,000 affected. More than 90,000 people have been evacuated and 50,000 are living in around 400 temporary shelters.

Some of the funds attributed will be invested in disaster risk reduction measures to mitigate the impact of future floods, but most of it will provide the people at risk with food and medical care, shelter, clean water and sanitation. Additionally, the European Commission has deployed a civil protection team to El Salvador, where the impact of the floods is greatest. The Commission will also provide additional civil protection aid in the country – the European assistance requested by the authorities will be distributed through the European Civil Protection Mechanism.

Kristalina Georgieva, the European Commissioner for humanitarian aid and crisis response highlighted that the Commission decision has been taken because the EU is worried about the most exposed to hunger, poverty and extreme weather. The European Commission, the ECHO agency in particular, has provided more than €18.5 million in Central America since last year, helping hundreds of thousands of people affected by floods, hurricanes, health threats and droughts. As an example, the €10 millions distributed last years to the same region.