(Photo courtesy Reuters)
Nicaragua (MNN) ― A week ago, Category-1 Hurricane Ida struck Nicaragua around sunrise, affecting communities along the Atlantic and Caribbean coasts. Thousands were displaced by flash floods and mudslides triggered by Ida, but no casualties were reported. Speaking to us from Nicaragua, Kim Brown with Food for the Hungry said the storm hit without warning.
"It caught most people totally off-guard," Brown said, "and we've had very heavy rains, particularly in that part of the country."
FH works primarily on Nicaragua's Pacific coast, but teams are working alongside Christian Medical Action in response to this disaster. Two years ago, the groups paired to provide a "holistic response" for Nicaraguan victims of Hurricane Felix. Brown predicts FH's response to the current disaster will be similar to methods used two years ago.
"That included things like emergency foods, roofing materials, helping with shelters, helping people get back on their feet," Brown explains. "We always respond to both physical, emotional, and spiritual needs because people are integrated."
In 2007, Nicaragua bore the brunt of Category-5 Hurricane Felix's wrath; Felix followed on the heels of Category-5 Hurricane Dean. It was the first time in history that two category-5 storms stuck within the same year. Most damage occurred to those out at sea when the hurricane rolled in, and the tempest wiped out crops which were ready to harvest.
One result of FH's partnership with the local medical agency in response to Felix was a restorative agricultural program.
"Through this program, they were able to plant a lot of rice, and the abundance of rice has really been a symbol of God's grace in the midst of tragedy," states Brown. "But to me, the latest poignancy of God's grace was...just a week before [Ida] hit, the farmers had finished taking in all the harvest.
"Because it hit when it did, all of the rice is in, and there isn't going to be the massive famine like there was in previous year."
FH works with Nicaraguan churches to help them become everything God intends His church to be.
Pray for FH teams as they prepare a disaster response plan. Pray for the victims to feel God's tangible love in the midst of tragedy.
Click here to financially support relief efforts of Food for the Hungry.
