Church action responding to the devastation of Hurricanes Eta and Iota in Nicaragua and Guatemala.

Hurricanes Eta and Iota have hit Central America very hard and there is much devastation.

Tropical storm Eta has caused widespread damage and some loss of life in the Caribbean and in Central America. It made landfall in Guatemala on Friday 6 November after causing widespread flooding and strong winds in several other Central American nations. Up to 150 people are believed to have died because of the tropical storm. There have been landslides, burst riverbanks and flooding in Guatemala and several areas of the country have declared a state of emergency. Approximately 70,000 people are in shelters after having been evacuated. These shelters include schools, churches and community centres. They do not have adequate sanitary facilities or PPE, even though the threat of the spread of COVID is present.

Northern Nicaragua is still reeling from the consequences of hurricane Eta after it made landfall on 3 November. Now hurricane Iota has just made landfall (on the evening of 16 November) and news on its impact is just beginning to surface.  According to ACAPS (acaps.org) , 150,000 people have been affected by severe flooding and landslides in Nicaragua following Eta, particularly in the two northern autonomous regions that are areas of existing social and economic vulnerability.

The Methodist Church in Guatemala and Nicaragua are responding to help their community with support from the World Mission Fund of the Methodist Church in Britain.  Please keep them in prayer as they carry out this vital work.

The National Evangelical Primitive Methodist Church in Guatemala (£13,850)

The areas affected are remote areas that are usually neglected by the government and are hard to reach. Governmental aid and support has been slow to reach them, so the communities themselves have been helping each other in their rescue and relief efforts. However, the need is extensive.

The Methodist Church in Guatemala has significant experience in offering relief and support to communities, even communities where they have no local church presence. During the pandemic lockdown, the church mobilised networks across the country to provide relief through their pandemic appeal fund and supported many thousands of people. They have requested support now to enable them to buy food packages, water, PPE and plastic ponchos to bring relief to approximately 1000 people.  The support from the World Mission Fund will supply approximately:

• 600 food parcels
• 500 ponchos
• 500 bed sheets
• 1000 bags of 24 units of drinking water
• 1000 tubes of toothpaste and toothbrushes

The Methodist Church in Nicaragua (Iglesia Evangelica Nacional Metodista de Nicaragua) £13,600

Reverend Ruben Zeledon, the President of the Evangelical Methodist Church in Nicaragua, has shared with Sandra Lopez (Partnership Co-ordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean) that many thousands of people are being sheltered in schools and churches or with family. Many homes have been destroyed and in some cases they have been completely washed away by severe flooding aided by strong winds. The local Methodist churches in the area are doing all they can to support local communities by helping to clear debris and offer hope to those who have lost much.

The church has identified 10 vulnerable families whose homes have been badly damaged or destroyed. These are families in extreme vulnerability and existing impoverishment who are connected to local churches in the area affected by both hurricanes. A grant of £13,600 from the World Mission Fund will help them rebuild or partially rebuild their homes, at a cost of £1,360 per home.

On this occasion the church has decided to provide shelter rather than immediate food relief because it is still using funds received during the pandemic, which it will use to offer food relief to these families.