Typhoon Goni Rolly
Typhoon Goni, known locally as Rolly, has caused destruction, landslides and extensive flooding across northern areas of the Philippines
HURRICANE ETA AND HURRICANE IOTA
Two ferocious hurricanes have slammed into Honduras, Nicaragua and other parts of Central America.
We’re responding in Honduras. Please support our work to help families who have lost their homes around the world.
Image credit: Maynor Valenzuela/Getty Images
Hurricane Eta has left families reeling after it battered Central America. Soon after, Hurricane Iota brought another wave of destruction across the same region.
Initially making landfall as a category 4 hurricane on November 3, slow-moving Eta caused extreme damage in Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and beyond. Its heavy rains and resulting flooding and landslides have torn down homes during a time when families need shelter the most to protect themselves from coronavirus.
Just weeks later, Hurricane Iota followed a similar path. It is the strongest hurricane of the year, breaking records by being the 30th named storm of this year’s Atlantic Hurricane Season.
Read on to learn more about Hurricane Eta and Iota and find out how we’re helping.
WHO IS AFFECTED BY HURRICANE ETA AND IOTA?
Flooding and landslides from Hurricane Eta have cut off more than 103,000 people across 69 communities – they haven’t been heard from since the storm.
Over 55,000 people are currently staying in temporary collective centers in Honduras.
We are extremely concerned about the potential for coronavirus to spread amongst families who have already survived one devastating storm. These disasters will put more strain on the health and social care systems still struggling to cope with coronavirus.
As if this wasn’t enough, Eta and Iota have also come during the region’s rainy season, which often sees spikes in seasonal illnesses such as flu and vector-borne diseases including dengue, zika and chikungunya.
How is ShelterBox Helping?
A man in Dominica uses ShelterBox tools to fix his roof, after Hurricane Irma and Maria, 2017.
ShelterBox is working to help families in Honduras who have lost their homes to Hurricane Eta.
Honduras looks to be the worst affected by Hurricane Eta, with 3 million people affected and at least 55,000 people staying in emergency shelters. These numbers are expected to rise after Hurricane Iota has passed through.
We have stocks of shelter kits and essential household items prepositioned in Panama, ready to be shipped. We urgently need to restock so that we are ready for future disasters, but we can’t do this without your support.
Conditions are challenging and we still don’t know the full extent of the damage. Search and rescue will be the priority for the coming days, but we’re speaking to our Rotary contacts and local organizations to understand the situation and where we can help.
Please donate today to help us support families affected by disasters around the world.
HOW MANY HURRICANES HAVE WE SEEN IN 2020?
The 2020 Atlantic Hurricane season is breaking records for all the wrong reasons, with a whopping 30 named storms so far. 13 of them, including Eta and Iota, became hurricanes.
When the regular list of 21 names ended earlier this year with Tropical Storm Wilfred, the Greek alphabet was used.
This is only the second time the Greek alphabet has been used to name storms. The first was during the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, where the last-named storm was Zeta.
CORONAVIRUS: AN ADDITIONAL THREAT
Whilst families are exposed to disasters and conflict, coronavirus continues to spread.
Our shelter saves lives. Please donate today and help vulnerable families who are facing a double threat.
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