Senior UN humanitarian official visits flood-stricken Central America

Catherine Bragg, UN assistant-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, on Wednesday began a four-day visit to Nicaragua and El Salvador to evaluate the impact of recent flooding in Central America, a UN spokesperson told reporters here. Eduardo del Buey, deputy spokesperson for UN secretary-general, said at a news briefing that Bragg, a Canadian national, aimed to highlight the dramatic impact of the Central American flooding crisis during her visit. The United Nations last week called upon the international community for 14.3 million U.S dollars to assist 134,000 Nicaraguans affected by severe flooding over the next six months, and another 15.7 million U.S. dollars to about 300,000 victims in El Salvador. The World Food Program (WFP) said that recurrent natural disasters are exacerbating the food security situation of both rural and urban populations in Central American countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua, said Eduardo. The agency launched emergent appeals to provide food relief to about 300,000 people in El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Honduras, who have been suffering from the impact of natural disasters and high food prices, Eduardo added. The torrential rains have so far impacted five Central American countries including El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, as well as Mexico, affecting nearly 570,000 people and left more than 80 dead, UN officials said.