Dispatch from José: Hurricane Relief in Colombia
José is back on the ground on the Colombian islands of San Andrés and Providencia this week as our Relief Team expands its response efforts following back-to-back storms in the region. The small islands sit off the east coast of Nicaragua, directly in the path of Category 4 Hurricane Iota, which hit in mid-November. Providencia was completely devastated – 98% of the island’s infrastructure is damaged. WCK has been serving meals for nearly two weeks, both to families recovering from the storm and first responders working tirelessly to assist people in need.
Without cell reception, communication on Providencia has been difficult, but radios and satellite phones help our team stay connected as we coordinate deliveries at our 32 meal distribution sites. Because the damage in Providencia is so extreme, our team is bringing in fresh meals by plane and boat from neighboring San Andrés – prepared by local restaurants to immediately put money back into the island’s economy.
Maria Fernanda, along with her father Crispin and her sister Jackie, own what was one of the most popular empanada shops in Providencia. Maria Fernanda’s recipes and passion for food come from her grandmother. She and her sister and father would make around 6,000 empanadas every day, with flavors like chicken, prawn, blue cheese, yellow cheese, and more. When Hurricane Iota hit, it completely destroyed both their home and their business. When we arrived to provide meals in their neighborhood, they joined in to help us serve.
This vegetable rice with chicken and sweet plantain was cooked by one of our restaurant partners in San Andrés and flown to Providencia. Now, with the help of the military, Crispin, Maria Fernanda, and Jackie have a roof over the shop to help them continue serving meals to their community.
In Guatemala and Honduras—where our team began hurricane relief efforts after Eta—we have served 300,000 meals to local communities. These deliveries have taken place in shelters housing families as well as directly into communities most impacted by flooding and mud – which, close to a month later, is now as hard as concrete.
About three hours from San Pedro Sula, Honduras, landslides destroyed the entire 2,000-person community of La Reina. Some people in the community heard the ground cracking and began to evacuate; others were shaken awake in the night as the landslide began. Thankfully and miraculously, everyone in the town survived. There is nearly nothing left in this mountain community, so our team brought fresh meals, dry goods, cookware, and shoes to the affected families.
As waters recede and recovery continues in Guatemala and Honduras, the WCK team is winding down our response. At the same time, the situation in Providencia remains critical, so we’re working to expand our efforts there to ensure everyone is taken care of. For real-time updates, follow WCK on Twitter and Instagram.
