Update–El Salvador

The past two weeks in El Salvador have been very difficult with an extreme tropical depression dumping more rain on the country than 1998’s devastating Hurricane Mitch.

The Bridge to Sonsonate

Over 52,500 people have been evacuated, 48,723 are in shelters and at least 32 people have died. In all of Central America, 700,000 are displaced and 90 people have lost their lives due to landslides and flooding.

Details:

• Centro Hogar is located in San Ramon, at the base of the San Salvador volcano and is at extreme risk of landslides. Many Centro Hogar families and children have evacuated and are in shelters. The police and Civil Protection are on consant alert.
• In th Bajo Lempa, a low-lying area next to the Lempa river, where our partner organization ANADES has three other pre-schools, has becometotally devastated because of extreme flooding. Water as reached to the roofs of homes and businesses. There were many families trapped in their homes until Tuesday and the majority have now been evacuated into shelters indefinitely.
• Much of the catastrophe in the Bajo Lempa is a result of human iresponsibility. According to VOICES on the Border , the September 15 dam, one of 3 hydroeletric dams has dumped water at the highest rate of 12,000 cubic centimeters per second, 2,500 cm/sec is a cause for alarm. The intense rain fall would have caused the communities to flood but the intense extra water from the dam has created catostrophic flooding.
• The heavy rains have destroyed much of this season’s crops. There will be an increase in the prices of basic food staples including vegetables, beans, and rice.
• Public health concerns rise: cantminated water, animal carcasses and mosquito borne diseases spead as fast the flood waters.

How YOU can HELP

In this crucial time, we need to do everything we can to help our communities and families facing critical dange and in need of reconstruction. Programa Velasco is trying to raise funds for:

• Basic Needs: portable water, food, underwear
• Cleaning-Up: bleach, soap, boots, shoes
• Resources: gasoline, tools, construction materials
• Health: pyschological attention, mosquito netting