1. Overview of the Impact of Hurricane Ida
2. CIS Accompanies Communities, Communities Act in Solidarity
3. Get Involved: Emergency Donations Needed in CIS Communities!
   

Even though the rainy season officially ends on November 2nd each year in El Salvador, on this day the rains began to fall lightly.  On each consecutive day, the rains fell a little harder until disaster struck with accumulation of water and even heavier rains Saturday night and Sunday morning.  Today, Monday, November 9th the first rays of sunlight have appeared, but Hurricane Ida has left a bitter aftermath.   

 According to the National System of Civil Protection, there are 136 deaths documented, 94 disappeared, 10,300 families left homeless, and 18 bridges collapsed due to the storms created by Hurricane Ida.   Major damage has been reported in the Departments of San Salvador, San Vicente, Cuscatlán, La Paz, and La Libertad.  Most of the lives that have been lost and the homes that have been destroyed are due to mudslides, houses falling over and retention walls collapsing and falling on houses.  In addition, there are hundreds of families left living in at-risk situations and people displaced due to flooding.  Crops that have been destroyed throughout the country were the food supply for the next nine months for the 50% of the country that lives in conditions of poverty or extreme poverty.  No doubt this will contribute to the possibility of starvation and malnutrition for the country’s poor majority in 2010.   The Salvadoran Government is taking immediate action requesting emergency aid from Cuba, Japan, Panamá, Venezuela, Guatemala, Mexico, the European Union, the United States and the United Nations.  

CIS is working to accompany communities and families affected during this emergency stage.  It is also important to note that through years of organizational support and solidarity, organizations in the CIS community network are able to get us first-hand information and get aid to the communities quickly – even ones not passable in vehicle.  Also, many of the community organizations themselves have converted into shelters and aid collection and distribution points.

Preliminary reports of damages from communities CIS works with (note: this is not a global list of damages in the country):

Donations can be made via paypal or made out to LOS OLIVOS CIS, with the note “Hurricane Ida Aid¨ to:

Los Olivos CIS
PO BOX 76
Westmont, IL 60559

Please send us written confirmation of your pledge so we can get aid distributed immediately: cis_elsalvador@yahoo.com

Thank you for your support!

Dora Alicia Alas (Iris), CIS Promoter, Distributing Staple Foods to Affected Families.