I'm guessing not to much news from Latin America makes it's way up north...well, let's be honest, I don't even have good access to regional news where I am either!
The past few weeks have been rather scary as heavy rains caused by a tropical depression have been hammering Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. There are a lot of roads and bridges that are out of commission, mudslides and flooding. Transportation is becoming increasingly complicated, and many areas are under a state of emergency as the rains continue.
For Honduras, and I think most of this region, it is rainy season right now, but the persistent rains and cold front of the past several weeks has been more intense than what is normal for October.
CNN.com reports that at least 60 people (though I would guess it may actually be higher than that) have died due to flooding of rivers and the collapse of their homes.
Here is a brief article I found if you you want to read a little bit more.
Being that I am good friends with MCC's Regional Disaster Coordinators for Latin America, I know that they are discussing next steps for helping with the situation, mostly in El Salvador and Guatemala. This could include material resource aid (like health kits or canned meat) but will likely be more long-term projects to help with the rebuilding of homes when the flooding recedes and mud can dry up.
Thankfully where I live it hasn't been too bad. We are always having rain, and some roads to rural communities where we go for work aren't the best, but we have been blessed to not have problems so far. The southern part of Honduras has been hardest hit, and we are concerned about an MCC Honduras partner in Choluteca that has experienced a lot of loss and damage.
Please remember to pray for the people in these countries and that the rains would soon move on. You can also be praying for MCC and wisdom in how we help respond to the ever increasing needs in these 3 countries.
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