Flooding causes national emergency in El Salvador

Oct 26, 2011 09:45 AM
The scene outside the SOS Children's Village San Vicente
The scene outside the SOS Children's Village San Vicente

An estimated 300,000 people in El Salvador are in urgent need of help after heavy rains caused widespread flooding across Central America.

Heavy rains in Central America, which began on 10th October as a result of low-pressure weather systems, have lasted for more than ten days in parts of the region, causing more than 120 deaths and affecting around 1.24 million people in El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras and Costa Rica.


According to the UN the widespread damage to agriculture and infrastructure has left El Salvador "facing one of the greatest disasters in its history". The amount of rain recorded was the highest in 50 years - even more than during Hurricane Mitch in 1998.

In El Salvador, nearly 56,000 people have been evacuated and an estimated 20,000 homes have been flooded, as well as 1,200 water wells.

Effects on SOS Children's Villages programmes in El Salvador

We are helping families enrolled on our Family Strengthening Programme in San Vicente, Sonsonate, San Miguel by providing them with food and aid supplies. Many of these communities have been flooded, and families have been forced to evacuate their homes and are now in temporary shelters.

In the SOS Children's Village San Miguel, one house has been damaged due to a leaking roof and the family are staying temporarily in a nearby SOS Youth Home. We have also evacuated families from the SOS Children's Village Santa Ana and San Vincente which are at great threat of flooding.

How you can help

You can help us continue our work in El Salvador by sponsoring a child or making a one-off donation which will help us to focus on the long-term welfare of children who have no one to care for them.

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