Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Quito (Agenzia Fides) - Caritas Ecuador currently continues distributing humanitarian aid to the flood victims in the provinces of Los Rios and Manabi where, in collaboration with the Bishops’ Conference of Ecuador, they have been handing out food rations, medicines, water, mosquito nets, and toiletries. In addition, they are now going to launch an emergency plan to meet the urgent care needs of 5,000 families. The operation’s main objective is to provide the victims with food, drinking water, and basic materials for house repair, as well as, medical attention, through diocesan health facility centers in the flooded zones.
Caritas Ecuador has established this emergency response operation in collaboration with the Pastoral Social Care workers in the areas of Machala, Babahoyo, Portoviejo, and Azogues, as well as with the local offices of Civil Defense. In addition to providing aid to the victims, Caritas is also evaluating damages to find the most urgent needs for this primary phase of the plan. A quarter of the country’s land has been effected, an estimated 315,000 families. The agricultural losses have been totaled to about 200 million dollars.
In recent days, 88 doctors from the province of Pichincha (where Quito is located), where they have suffered less damage, have traveled to the provinces on the coast to help the health centers in this area that has been the most affected. Gastrointestinal diseases are on the rise in this area, where the hospitals are overflowing with patients. The fear now is that as waters begin to recede, the mosquitoes will multiply and the typical diseases of the area, like dengue and malaria, will spread. Caritas Ecuador, in fact, has recently confirmed 600 cases of dengue and many others with rash outbreaks. In addition to all this, there are also serious logistical difficulties that the aid workers face, as the roads are flooded or washed out by mudslides.
According to the Security Minister, an estimated 1 billion dollars will be needed to recuperate from the floods that the country has been experiencing since January. The future does not seem very promising either, as the National Meteorological Institute has predicted rains until May and considering the fact that the ground is already saturated by previous precipitation, the coming rains could aggravate the situation.
In addition to the damage from flooding, Ecuador is also having to attend to 2,000 victims of the volcanic eruption of Tungurahua, whose activity was strongest in mid-January and February. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 29/2/2008 righe 32, parole 404)
