UN appeals for almost $40 million to assist flood victims in Nicaragua

United Nations humanitarian agencies today appealed for more than $39 million to help Nicaraguans deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Felix, which left a deadly trail of destruction when it struck the Central American country earlier this month.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said $22.8 million is needed to provide emergency life-saving relief for an estimated 162,000 people affected by the hurricane, while an extra $16.3 million is required for early recovery programmes over the next six months.

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes said he hoped international donors would respond generously to the appeal.

“As the longer-term economic impact is also bound to be grave, their assistance will prove crucial in the recovery effort that follows,” said Mr. Holmes, who is also UN Emergency Relief Coordinator.

The world body is drawing from its Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to kick-start the appeal, which is focused on helping the people of Nicaragua’s North Autonomous Region on the Atlantic Coast, the region hit hardest by Felix.

Almost 8,000 houses, 6,000 latrines and 5,000 wells were damaged or completely destroyed as the winds of the category-five hurricane, which made landfall on 4 September, reached 270 kilometres per hour. So far the death toll is 67, with another 110 people recorded as missing.

OCHA said the appeal calls for help with food aid, nutrition, shelter, health, water and sanitation, education, telecommunications, security, logistics and protection. Medicines and emergency health kits are seen as priorities, as well as ensuring water quality and maintaining disease control.

For the next three months, UN agencies expect to carry out general food distribution within the affected communities in the North Autonomous Region on the Atlantic Coast, which is a predominantly poor and relatively inaccessible region, and at the evacuation centres. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) is also likely to help affected communities and households rebuild their infrastructure.

This is the 11th “flash appeal” to be issued by OCHA this year, which eclipses the previous record of 10 set in 2005. Aside from last month’s appeal to help earthquake survivors in Peru, the appeals have followed climate-related disasters, such as hurricanes, drought and floods.