Hurricane Eta Relief

On November 8, Hurricane Eta made landfall in the United States as a dangerous Category 4 storm. Before reaching our shores, it swept across the Caribbean Sea leaving devastation in its wake throughout Latin America. 

In San Pedro Sula, Honduras, flooding has swallowed more than half the city. Dozens of communities were completely cut off by washed out roads, homes and bridges were destroyed, and tens of thousands took to rooftops as they hoped for rescue. More than 400,000 people have been displaced. 

Weeks after the destruction, there are still thousands of people on roofs in remote areas waiting for rescue. The Honduras government has been slow to organize efforts. It is mostly the people and businesses of Honduras offering aid and caring for those who have lost everything. 

The people of the city, and many of our friends in the medical profession, are faced with an enormous and urgent humanitarian crisis in shelters. They are facing spiraling health risks and are in immediate need of basic supplies like food, water, clothing, sanitation products and services, masks and other PPE, and medications. 

To meet these immediate needs, Operation Walk chapters, in partnership with Rotary International, have rapidly mobilized to gather financial support that is being used to purchase emergency medical and humanitarian supplies for shelters across the city and provide basic needs for individuals and families. 

We have raised over $37,000 to support this work. $10,000 of this was deployed last week with assistance from Rotary International and our colleagues at Hospital Bendana, providing 800 families, or around 5000 people, with food, toiletries, water, and other basic goods. More will be accomplished in the coming weeks with the money we’ve raised. We’ll be sure to keep you posted on the progress we are making.