Media Contacts: Allen Clinton, 404-979-9206 / clinton@care.org or Rick Perera, 404-979-9453 / rperera@care.org

ATLANTA (Sept. 3, 2007) - As Hurricane Felix gains momentum and is anticipated to touch down first in either Honduras or Nicaragua tomorrow afternoon, CARE emergency teams in the region are ready to respond.

"The whole Central America region has a high probability of feeling the effects of Hurricane Felix," says Marcos Neto, CARE program director in Central America. "This hurricane has the potential to cause major devastation to Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala. El Salvador will most likely also be affected by rainfall and flooding as most of its rivers flow in from Honduras."

Working with partner organizations and governments to monitor the storm and plan a coordinated response, CARE has prepared its immediate relief efforts to reach an initial 23,000 people with food, water, sanitation services and shelter supplies. Additionally, CARE anticipates the need for US$2 million in donor support to sustain its initial relief efforts during the first 90 days of the emergency.

"It's important to remember lessons learned from Hurricane Mitch," says Neto. "As CARE helped communities rebuild after Mitch, we also worked with many of them throughout the region to become better prepared to reduce the effects of future storms. Now as Felix approaches, it looks like we'll soon learn if mitigation training has helped prepare these communities for the inevitable."

Remembering Hurricane Mitch: In 1998, Hurricane Mitch was the most devastating hurricane to hit Central America in two centuries, leaving in its path unprecedented levels of destruction and hundreds of thousands of shattered lives. The storm struck the rural poor in Honduras particularly hard, killing over 10,000 people, leaving some 400,000 people displaced and over 70 percent of the infrastructure in affected areas completely destroyed. Since then, Hondurans and people throughout this disaster-prone region have worked to rebuild their homes, schools and livelihoods, while coping with a series of ongoing droughts. Though socio-economic indicators demonstrate improved health and higher education levels, the gap between the poor and the rich has continued to widen. Most affected are marginalized women who are the primary caretakers of their families.

About CARE: CARE has over 60 years of experience delivering emergency aid. With ongoing poverty-fighting projects in 66 countries, CARE can respond quickly anywhere in the world. Our emergency responses focus on the needs of the most vulnerable, particularly women and children. CARE's work in Central America began in 1955. Its programs today focus on addressing long-term development needs and empower marginalized women through programs including health, education and microfinance. For more information about CARE, visit www.care.org.