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UN:
UN TO LAUNCH $17-MILLION APPEAL TO FEED 100,000 NICARAGUAN HURRICANE
VICTIMS:
13/09/2007 (MaximsNews.com, U.N.) |
UNITED NATIONS - / www.MaximsNews.com@
U.N./
- 13 September 2007 –
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)
said today that it plans to launch a $17-million emergency appeal for 100,000
hurricane victims in Nicaragua, as rescue crews reported that they were stunned
by the intensity of the destruction wrought along the impoverished country’s
northern coast.
“The
victims of this catastrophe are among the poorest and most vulnerable people,
not just in Nicaragua but in the whole Latin American region,” WFP Country
Director William Hart said of the last week’s landfall of Hurricane Felix.
“As
our staff arrive with supplies, it is clear they have been left with literally
nothing. Everything is destroyed and their lives are in pieces. What we are
discovering as we visit these remote areas is a desperate swathe of humanity
that has been invisible to the outside world, and which now more than ever needs
the help of outsiders,” he said.
Initial
reports indicate that of the almost 10,000 homes affected by the violent
Category 5 hurricane, 80 per cent were completely destroyed. Almost 5,200 wells
were contaminated and 6,000 latrines destroyed. Diarrhoea among children is
increasing and heavy rainfall is creating unsanitary conditions that have raised
fears of worsening health conditions.
“The
numbers of people seriously affected continues to grow while at the same time,
as more information comes in from this remote region, we realize just how
violent and destructive Hurricane Felix really was,” Mr. Hart said. “Not
only have entire villages up and down the coast been pummelled and flattened
into the ground, but extensive damage has also been reported among those living
as much as 100 kilometres back from the coastline.”
Hurricane
Felix also ripped out large quantities of coconut, banana and mango trees,
depriving inhabitants of basic foods. The upcoming harvest of rice and other
vital crops has been lost, and due to salt water damage to fields it is expected
that December’s harvest may be lost or severely reduced.
Under
the six-month WFP emergency operation, which is part of a consolidated appeal of
UN agencies being announced today, WFP will provide a general distribution of
emergency rations for the first three months, followed by food support for
rehabilitation activities. These activities are likely to be extended for an
additional period once a more detailed assessment of the region’s needs is
completed.
Meanwhile,
WFP emergency feeding operations continue. Over the weekend, two ships carrying
a combined total of 151 metric tons of food (enough for 15,000 people for 20
days) arrived in the battered coastal port of Bilwi (formerly Puerto Cabezas)
after a two-day journey along the Escondido River. Bilwi has been cut off from
overland transport after a key bridge was destroyed by Felix.
About 14
tons of the food (enough to feed 1,550 for 18 days) was then transported by two
United States Air Force helicopters to the town of Raiti, one of more than 100
Miskito Indian communities along the coast. Without the helicopters, which have
established an air bridge in the area, the journey would have taken over a week.
Yesterday
the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said it was seeking over $2 million in relief
aid over the next six months for the hurricane victims.
Labels: United
Nations, U.N.,
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