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EU increases humanitarian support by €5 million to hurricane victims in Central America

Dec 16, 2020
EU increases humanitarian support by €5 million to hurricane victims in Central America

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Further EU assistance has been delivered in Honduras to the victims of Hurricanes ETA and IOTA in the country through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. Queen Letizia of Spain is in Honduras as 2 shipments totalling some 17.7 tonnes of cargo, including coronavirus tests, tents, blankets, jerry cans, kitchen sets, and other items are being delivered by Spain. Austria is also sending assistance to Honduras in the next days via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

“The passage of Hurricanes ETA and IOTA has made the humanitarian situation in Central America even more dramatic. Before the year is over, we are channelling an additional €5 million to provide lifesaving activities in a region already affected by a situation of severe food insecurity. At a time when the all of the EU is still fighting the coronavirus crisis, we cannot forget natural disasters continue to happen around the world. I am grateful to Queen Letizia and Spain to bring relief and attention to the situation in Central America as well as to Austria and France for their assistance to the region”, said Janez Lenarčič, European Commissioner for Crisis Management.

This latest allocation brings the total amount of EU humanitarian funding to Central America to €17.85 million in 2020. Out of these, €3.2 million were channelled over the last month in emergency aid to the victims of the hurricanes across the region.

In addition, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism had already facilitated earlier deliveries of assistance from France and Spain to Honduras, from Spain to Panama, and from France to Guatemala.

The EU’s emergency Copernicus satellite service has so far delivered 28 maps of the affected area and the EU’s 24/7 Emergency Response Coordination Centre remains in close contact with the authorities of the affected countries. In addition to its coordination role, the EU finances 75% of the transport costs for assistance dispatched via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

Original source: European Commission