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Save the Children Responds to Hurricane Felix
Westport, Conn (September 4, 2007) — Save the Children is assisting many of the more than 70,000 children and families that have been forced from their homes in Nicaragua as a result of Hurricane Felix — a powerful storm that has put many communities in its path on the highest possible emergency alert.
Hurricane Felix struck the coast of Nicaragua Tuesday morning with Category 5 winds of 160 mph. While its winds have weakened, weather experts say the storm's heavy rains continue to pose a serious threat to families in its path. Save the Children will be distributing water and hygiene kits, to displaced children and their families, as well as safe space kits to communities in the coming days.
In Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, officials are preparing for heavy rainfall and mudslides that could affect thousands of area residents, especially those who have built homes on hillsides. Save the Children has been operating programs in the country since 1968 and has staff on the ground ready to respond.
"We are very concerned for the well-being of children and their families in Nicaragua and Honduras," said Rudy Von Bernuth, who heads Save the Children's emergency response team. "We have staff in both countries who are continuing to assess the situation and respond to the urgent needs of children, including keeping them protected and safe."
Felix is the second Category 5 storm to strike Central America in recent weeks and weather experts are worried its impact could rival Hurricane Mitch, which killed an estimated 10,000 people across Central America in 1998.
You can help Save the Children respond to emergencies like these that put at great risk the survival, protection, and well-being of significant numbers of children. By contributing to the Children’s Emergency Fund, you help us to respond immediately to children and families who urgently need our assistance when disasters strike.
