The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is deploying a Disaster-Assistance Response Team (DART) to respond to back-to-back hurricanes in Central America, where Hurricane Iota made landfall yesterday as a powerful Category 4 storm just two weeks after Hurricane Eta hit the same region.
USAID’s DART is leading the U.S. Government’s response to these storms. The team comprises disaster experts from USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance who are assessing damage, identifying needs, and bringing urgently needed assistance to communities affected by these storms. The DART is performing its work in coordination with local authorities; national and global humanitarian organizations; the U.S. Department of Defense; and the U.S. Embassies in the Republics of Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
The United States, through USAID, was already providing assistance after Hurricane Eta made landfall, and is now allocating an additional $17 million in life-saving aid to help people affected by both hurricanes in Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. This new funding includes up to $8.5 million in Honduras, $7 million in Guatemala, and $1.5 million in Nicaragua to provide emergency shelter, food, hygiene supplies, critical relief items, and protection for the most vulnerable people, many of whom are from indigenous and Afro-descendant communities.
As the world’s humanitarian leader, the United States remains committed to providing life-saving assistance to people affected by the hurricanes. It is a core American value to help those in need, and we will continue to help the populations devastated by the storms.
For the latest updates on the U.S. Government’s response to the recent hurricanes in Central America, please visit this website: https://www.usaid.gov/humanitarian-assistance/hurricanes-iota-eta.
