The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has launched a preliminary emergency appeal for nearly one million Swiss francs ($825,000 USD/€600,000) to support Red Cross National Societies in the Central American nations being lashed by the remnants of Hurricane Felix. The funds will be used to supply some 23,000 people (4,600 families) with emergency items including tents, mosquito nets, blankets, jerrycans, clothes, bedding and plastic sheeting.

Since landfall on Nicaragua's Miskito Coast as a category five storm on 4 September, Felix has been downgraded to a tropical depression. It continues to bring heavy rains producing flash flooding, landslides and mudslides as well as isolating villages in the water-logged mountainous regions of Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. The International Federation has sent personnel and supplies to support local Red Cross operations in the area.

"Based on previous experiences and the topography in this region, we are preparing to meet the need for extensive relief, clean water, sanitation and recovery for possibly tens of thousands of affected families," explains Xavier Castellanos of the International Federation's Zone office in Panama.

Preliminary estimates in Nicaragua put the toll so far at eight people dead, a dozen injured, and nearly 35,000 people affected, with 40 per cent of the city of Puerto Cabezas (pop. 40,000) sustaining damage. The low casualties can be attributed to smooth disaster planning between the Red Cross and authorities to carry out 13,500 evacuations and pre-position relief supplies. Inland mountain run-off is expected to cause additional flooding once it reaches this river-laced jungle.

The Honduran Red Cross reports numerous towns cut off by downed communications and roads covered by landslides in the departments of Francisco Morazán and Comayagua. Nearly 30,000 people were evacuated, including nearly 800 families from the high-risk mountain slopes around the capital city of Tegucigalpa.

Red Cross offices throughout El Salvador and Guatemala maintain their vigil and constant communication with authorities and the United Nations agencies, as rivers on the border have more than doubled from normal levels. Their staff and volunteers and are prepared to deploy search and rescue, assessment and relief teams. The International Federation's zonal representatives and disaster management delegates from the Pan American Disaster Response Unit (PADRU), based in Panama, are assisting relief efforts in Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Belize. The International Federation immediately released 200,000 Swiss francs ($166,000 USD/ €122,000) from its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund to meet immediate needs in the region.

The International Federation through PADRU currently has the capacity to quickly meet the emergency needs of around 125,000 people. Red Cross Societies from Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland and the United States which are supporting long-term projects in the region are also participating in the relief effort.