Christian Aid released £140,000 for emergency relief and rehabilitation work in flood-ravaged Honduras when heavy rains struck in October 2008.
The country declared a state of emergency following a spate of landslides and flooding that have affected more than 320,000 people and 17 out of the country's 18 provinces.
However, thanks to well-organised evacuations, the death toll was relatively low, with 41 people known to have died.
Christian Aid’s local partners CASM, OCDIH, ASONOG and ACT Honduras distributed food aid, bottled water, mattresses, blankets, cooking pots and hygiene kits to hundreds of families in temporary shelters.
As well as providing immediate relief supplies, partners helped repair wells, water pipes and toilets, and provide seeds, tools and organic fertiliser to allow farmers to plant again.
Kick-starting agricultural production was vital because almost 50% of the country's crops were lost, and there was a clear danger that the Honduras would face series food shortages.
‘This was the worst flooding Honduras has experienced since Hurricane Mitch ten years ago,’ explained Christian Aid’s emergencies officer for Central America, Erwin Garzona.
‘The impact is worse than Hurricane Felix in 2007 or Hurricane Bertha in 2004, but there has been little media coverage, partly because this situation is caused by continuous heavy rainfall rather than a dramatic hurricane strike.’
Christian Aid has been funding disaster risk reduction work in Honduras for several years, helping communities prepare for the annual storms, floods and landslides.
This has included helping villages set up early-warning systems, evacuation procedures and emergency shelter plans.
Partners have also helped communities build sturdy, high-level bridges, watertight metal granaries to store food safely and raised chicken coops to keep hens safe from floodwaters.
Claudina Reyes, a Christian Aid representative in Honduras, describes the situation to the BBC.