Guatemala - Tropical Storm Agatha - World Food Programme Emergency Appeal 2010

The first tropical storm of the 2010 Pacific hurricane season Agatha made landfall on the Pacific coast of Guatemala on May 29. It resulted in more than 426 mm of rain in a short period of time. Flooding caused extensive damage across a large part of the country. Simultaneously an eruption of Pacaya Volcano limited search and rescue operations as well as the provision of humanitarian relief. As of June 23 2010 174 people have been reported killed and 113 missing. According to a recent assessment approximately 400 000 people are in need of humanitarian assistance including food assistance. CIDA is supporting the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Guatemala to provide life-saving emergency food assistance to approximately 370 000 beneficiaries affected by the tropical storm and volcanic eruption. This project also aims to protect and restore agricultural livelihoods by implementing Food-for-Work interventions for the recovery of staple food production for rural households.