Hurricane Iota lands a new blow onto Central America, Oxfam ready to respond

Millions of people in Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, already hit earlier this month by damage from monster hurricane Eta, are now facing an even bigger crisis from Iota, a category five hurricane that made landfall overnight on Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast.

COVID-19 infections could rise exponentially as a result of these consecutive hurricanes and overcrowding shelters, Oxfam warns.  

“Iota will have a devastating impact on areas already hit by hunger, drought, COVID-19 and the calamity visited earlier from Eta. Millions of people have already lost everything they had,” said Asier Hernando, Oxfam’s Regional Director in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Heavy rains and winds resulted in flash floods, rivers to overflow and landslides. Hurricane Eta, the most powerful cyclone that hit Central America in years, hit the region last month, impacting more than 6 million people.

Oxfam, together with local partners, continues to provide humanitarian response in Central America. To date, Oxfam has reached 32,500 people affected by the emergency with food, hygiene kits, and shelters support to shelters.

“Oxfam is on the ground and now assessing the damages caused by Iota. There had already been a lot of damage to infrastructure caused by Eta and this urgently needs attention. We’ve had to temporarily suspend our on-going relief operations because of this new storm Iota, we cannot risk the lives of the people who are providing the response," said Gloria García Parra, Oxfam's Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Humanitarian aid is urgently needed to help Oxfam and its local partner organizations to provide vital lifesaving support to people impacted.