The home stretch: Children dart among the rows of steel housing - their temporary home at the Apaneca refugee camp.

Packed into 3x3 steel shacks, the majority of families here are struggling to gain financial security and hope for a better living situation.

APANECA, El Salvador - In the wake of Hurricane Stan, widespread flooding and deadly mudslides forced an estimated 50,000 Salvadoran residents to flee their homes and evacuate to government sites, according to country reports.

Operation Blessing responded by providing emergency disaster relief such as food, clothing, and medical services, yet many devastated regions still remain untouched. Recently, OBI visited one such region - a refugee camp located in Apaneca - housing over 100 displaced families.

"These individuals continue to live in a shanty town in miserable conditions," said Rich Danzeisen, International Director for OBI.

Families pack inside 3x3 meter homes made of corrugated steel sheeting, with no running water and only 40 available toilets for the entire community. In addition, the water supply that is available is non-potable, the black and grey water draining into open ditches that run alongside the rows of shacks.

"They are currently receiving no assistance from any other NGO outside of OBI or from the government," Danzeisen said. "The camp was appreciative of our support, but it was obvious they were desperate for some sort of long-term solution."

Because the government is not allowing families to return to unstable mountainside villages, appointed leaders in the refugee camp say they are desperate to find property so that they can begin to rebuild.

"It’s hard to build homes on air," said one leader.

OBI is currently working on a strategy to continue meeting the needs for these and other families in El Salvador who are fighting to recover from the devastation. In addition to El Salvador, OBI has also been actively responding to hurricane-related needs in Guatemala and Mexico.

In Chiapas, Mexico, and other villages bordering the Pacific Coast, OBI has reached over 5,000 victims through medical clinics, food distribution and cleaning polluted wells, allowing villagers access to clean, potable water.

HOW YOU CAN HELP
You can help by making an online donation toward OBI's disaster relief efforts. With your support, we can continue to provide emergency relief and recovery. Please make an on-line donation today.

 

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