Médecins Sans Frontières helps the survivors of Hurricane Ida

Over the weekend of 6-7 November 2009, over 150 people were killed and more than 13,000 were displaced by the intense rains and floods which hit El Salvador after Hurricane Ida swept through the country. The authorities declared a state of emergency in the regions affected and many communities were isolated for days because of the collapse of bridges.

Médecins Sans Frontières has sent a team of nine staff, including doctors, logisticians, a nurse, a water and sanitation expert and a psychologist, to help the victims of this natural disaster. The Médecins Sans Frontières Emergency Unit based in Panama has sent a planeload of medical and relief material, including water purification equipment and fifteen days worth of medicines, surgical materials and first aid kits.

This week, our teams have been assessing the needs of the people in the two most affected regions, La Paz and San Vicente. “People tell me how they were stuck in their homes, how the water was rising and rising and they couldn’t escape” says Xavi Punset, Médecins Sans Frontières medical coordinator. Médecins Sans Frontières psychologists have done some counselling in the shelters, seeing the sadness experienced by those people who lost everything. Other organisations have also reacted quickly and immediately set up shelters for those who had been affected.

The first assessments indicate that the medical needs are being covered by government authorities and national non-government organisations and the shelters are in good condition. The Médecins Sans Frontières teams will be working in the region of La Paz, on the outskirts of Zacatecoluca and La Libertad, concentrating on the distribution of non-food items and giving psychological support to the victims.

Our teams will continue assessing the needs in the more remote parts of the region of San Vicente and will look into setting up a psychosocial programme for those who have lost their homes. “The question is, ‘what will happen in the post-emergency phase?’” says Xavi Punset. “Some houses have been flooded and people will be able to go back in the future. However, others have been completely destroyed, so for many people who are now in the shelters, there is nothing to go back to”.