Hurricane Iota in Central America: another demonstration of solidarity by Switzerland

Bern, 23.11.2020 - Central America, already ravaged by Hurricane Eta, has again been hit by an extreme weather event. The latest, Hurricane Iota, has already wreaked havoc in several countries across the region. The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) is responding to the emergency by sending specialists and released CHF 2 million to help the survivors.

Central America has recently been hit by a series of natural disasters. Just two weeks after Hurricane Eta, communities have had to face yet more fierce winds, followed by torrential rain and landslides. Hurricane Iota has claimed many lives and caused major damage. Furthermore, flooded or submerged roads are preventing access to the affected areas.

Once again, the FDFA is committed to help the survivors by deploying four disaster management experts based at Swiss representations in Latin America. The experts have arrived in Guatemala to carry out a needs assessment and provide support to the authorities in responding to the crisis.

Switzerland has also released CHF 2 million to address the urgent needs of communities in Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala. These three countries have been hit hardest by this latest disaster. Of this amount, CHF 1 million will fund emergency operations undertaken by the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit, part of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), in Nicaragua and Guatemala. With CHF 1 million, Switzerland is contributing to a UN appeal for help for Honduras.

On 12 November 2020, the SDC's Humanitarian Aid Unit had already provided 700,000 Swiss francs to help those affected by Hurricane Eta.


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Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
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https://www.admin.ch/content/gov/en/start/documentation/media-releases.msg-id-81275.html