WCK’s Hurricane Iota response expands to Colombia
When Category 4 Hurricane Iota made landfall in Nicaragua on November 16, it devastated communities across Honduras and Guatemala that were still recovering from Hurricane Eta, which hit just days before. 470 miles southeast of San Pedro Sula, Honduras, the Colombian islands of San Andrés and Providencia took the full brunt of the storm; 98% of the infrastructure on Providencia was damaged. Monday, the WCK Relief Team flew to San Andrés to begin providing food relief to these communities.
The damage on the islands is astounding — buildings ripped open, trees turned to skeletons, and thousands of people living in tents. Many families from Providencia who were affected by Iota are staying on the nearby island of San Andrés, either in shelters or inns, or at the homes of community members who have welcomed them.
Local restaurants in San Andrés are preparing fresh, hot meals that the Colombian military is helping us bring to Providencia, along with sandwiches and fresh fruit. The food is being transported by plane and by boat — whatever it takes.
Rocio, who owns an Italian restaurant in San Andrés, whipped up some delicious pasta bolognese to feed the evacuees and the military.
In Honduras and Guatemala, WCK teams continue to serve families staying at local shelters, as well as people stranded by the flooding. Chef Erick’s restaurant in Morales, Guatemala, flooded during Hurricane Iota, but he immediately moved his ovens and equipment to higher ground to begin cooking for the community. He’s now a main provider for our distribution center in Morales, producing 1,300 meals daily for eight large shelters.
In El Calan, outside of San Pedro Sula, the bridge to one community washed out, so for now we’re delivering fresh meals and fruit using a wheelbarrow on a pulley system that the community engineered to share supplies.
As our efforts continue, please follow us on Twitter and Instagram for the latest updates.
