UN launches appeal to help victims of Nicaraguan floods

The United Nations and Nicaragua launched a flash appeal today for $14.3 million to provide shelter, food, water and sanitation, and agricultural livelihoods to those affected by the floods that have ravaged large parts of the country for the past three weeks.

During a briefing in Geneva, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the appeal will provide aid for 134,000 people over the next six months, and will respond to immediate as well as medium-term necessities to enhance the population’s early recovery.

The appeal will target seven areas that have been identified as the most affected and with the least capacity to respond: Chinandega, León, Managua, Estelí, Matagalpa, Nueva Segovia, and Madriz.

In addition, the appeal will target 63,000 people that have been assessed as particularly vulnerable.

Flooding has damaged the homes of more than 12,000 families and destroyed more than 200 water sources. At the moment, 10,146 people are located in emergency shelters.

OCHA expressed concern about roads that have been blocked by debris or flooding, which means emergency workers will face further hurdles to reach remote communities and restore basic services.

Other Central American countries that have been severely affected by the floods include El Salvador, Honduras and Belize, where various UN agencies are working to provide assistance.