ActionAid teams at work in aftermath of tropical storm Agatha in Guatemala

House, Community Las Morenas

The international development charity, working with local partner organisations, has given basic food, health kits, medicines and kitchen kits to families in the Costa Sur, Alzatate and Solola regions of Guatemala.

Since Agatha hit the on Friday May 28 the country has had the heaviest rainfall for over 60 years. Already 155,000 people have been evacuated  and 29,000 are living in shelters, and more rain is expected. At least 156 people have died.

Rescue workers, including ActionAid partners, have been working round the clock to evacuate vulnerable people, restore communications and reach cut-off areas with supplies. ActionAid is also checking on the safety of sponsored children in the storm-affected areas.

Road, Community Carrizales

Arturo Echeverría, ActionAid’s Guatemala Country Director, said:

“There are reports that food prices are soaring in the affected regions. We’ll be working to make sure the poorest people in this area will have enough to eat, both in the immediate aftermath of the storm and in the long term.

“Families have seen their crops damaged or destroyed and they’re worried they won’t be able to feed their families. We are providing much-needed emergency help and looking at how people affected by the storm can rebuild their lives in the long-term.”

Three of the areas in which ActionAid is working in Guatemala have been hit: Costa Sur, Sololá, and San Carlos Alzatate.