Translating as ‘you are not alone’ these were the words of Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez as he addressed the people of Honduras in the aftermath of two devastating hurricanes in just two short weeks.
Both were category 4 storms – the second-highest rating possible on the Saffir-Simpson scale. With sustained wind speeds of between 200 and 250 kph, storms of this intensity are thankfully rare – but for the people of Honduras, November 2020 would prove them to be not so rare at all.
Hurricane Eta struck on November 3rd, devastating infrastructure across the country. Before there was even time to react, Hurricane Iota made landfall on November 17th. Flooding and lethal mudslides raged across the country destroying bridges, roads, schools and hospitals. Agriculture was decimated. The water system collapsed.
Hundreds of thousands are currently homeless. The lucky few stay with relatives whose homes are still standing. Others have congregated at emergency shelters. Many have nowhere to go.
Covid is finding the shelters a fertile breeding ground, with people being asked to sleep head to toe rather than face to face in a desperate attempt to limit the spread of the virus.
Through our contacts in NPH International, we heard about the situation and knew we had to get involved.
As part of our own relief works on the Island of Haiti, we purchase, fill and transport shipping containers of aid directly to those most in need. These containers are packed full of donated items that will help improve life for people on the ground.
In cooperation with NPH, we have now shipped two containers of Irish aid to the people of Honduras, one having already landed and another in the water as we speak. There is 74 cubic metres of life changing capacity in each sea going container – everything from hospital beds to wheelchairs, construction supplies to first aid.
None of this is possible without the generosity of Irish people and we’d like to take this opportunity to thank all our donors for their continued support. Finally, we’d like to ask you for a little favour – we’d appreciate it if you could LIKE & SHARE this post to your network to help us spread the word of our work. Just one click will allow us talk to a wider audience and ultimately change the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in the world.
Please LIKE & SHARE – thank you.
