We are headed to Honduras in February!
Our team will be joining our partners on the ground serving the people who were devastated by the two hurricanes that wreaked havoc in November.
The two Category 4 hurricanes — Eta and Iota — made landfall in Central America on Nov. 3 and Nov. 17, respectively. Even today, the region continues to dig out from mudslides. Aid
agencies say nearly 7 million people need assistance. The infrastructure is crippled. These two hurricanes destroyed bridges, roads, schools, and health clinics. Families lost their
homes, farms, and businesses to floodwaters. Landslides packed small downtown plazas with mud. Despite both hurricanes initially coming ashore in Nicaragua, neighboring
Honduras appears to have suffered the most damage and the most deaths from landslides and flooding caused by the intense rainfall. Today thousands of Hondurans remain
homeless. Many are crowded into shelters. Others are staying with friends and relatives. Aid officials say that the damage from hurricanes Eta and Iota rival that caused by Hurricane Mitch, one of the deadliest Atlantic storms of all time. Mitch hit Honduras in 1998, leaving 3 million people homeless and prompting tens of thousands of Hondurans to migrate to the United States.
“The damage in terms of costs, destruction, damage to agriculture is just as high” as from Mitch, says Hugo Rodriguez, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for Central America,
about Eta and Iota. “This is Mitch-scale if not bigger.” Hurricane Eta affected almost all of Central America, including Panama, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, and Nicaragua.
Vessels of Mercy International began responding immediately to our partners on the ground by providing food, tarps, hygiene items, and shelter. We are continuing our relief efforts on
the ground. Our partner project ProNiño sustained major damage when the levy broke in two places. The families at Women of Hope lost everything. So, the need is
great. Please join us in prayer as we determine the next course of action. In the meantime, if you would like to be a part of assisting with our relief efforts visit us on the web to make a
donation at https://www.vesselsofmercy.org/donate/ or mail a check to our office at 12081 Gayton Rd. Henrico, VA 23238.