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Honduras + 2 more

Central America - Tropical Storm Eta & Hurricane Iota: Humanitarian Snapshot (As of 8:00am EST 4 December 2020)

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OVERVIEW

National authorities and humanitarian organizations continue to face challenges in responding to Tropical Storm Eta and Hurricane Iota across Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Access contraints due to damaged roads and flooding persist. Floodwaters have not fully receded in some areas, with some communities in these countries all but underwater. Many waiting to return to their communities are still in makeshift shelters, often in exposed conditions. Seasonal cold fronts are causing added rainfall and flooding, with the northern Honduran department of Atlántida reporting renewed flooding. The ongoing rainfall poses a continued threat to people in affected communities and to response operations addressing priority needs in WASH, food security, health, shelter, protection, education and other areas.

Per the United States' National Hurricane Center (NHC), major hurricanes in the Atlantic basin during November form every seven to eight years, making Eta and Iota's formations within weeks of each other a historical feat. The 2020 season closed as the most active hurricane season ever recorded with 30 named storms, more than twice the long-term yearly average of 12 named storms, including thirteen hurricanes and six major hurricanes, also twice as much or more than average.

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