Honduras: In the shadows of storms past

Sara’s heavy rains pummeled Honduras, flooding towns, triggering landslides and affecting 98 of the country’s 298 municipalities – nearly a third of the country. Some areas in the northern Atlantic region recorded more than 1 metre of rainfall, overwhelming rivers and causing devastating floods.

“Sara got us worse than [Hurricanes] Eta and Iota… How are we going to get all this water out of the community?” asked Calixta, as she looked over standing floodwaters from the tropical storm that aren’t expected to fully recede for months.

“After these storms,” Calixta sighed, “the mosquitoes will come and then the dengue,” referencing Honduras’ long-standing struggles with the vectorborne disease. Honduras declared a national health emergency in May 2024 due to climate-driven dengue outbreaks, recording 177,209 cases and 160 deaths in 2024 – nearly 73,000 more cases and 80 more deaths than in the previous four years combined.

According to the Risk and Contingency Management Secretariat (COPECO), Tropical Storm Sara affected approximately 251,000 people, displaced nearly 8,300 people into shelters and cut off more than 2,400 communities.

Sara primarily affected Atlántida, Choluteca, Colón, Cortés, Gracias a Dios and Valle Departments. Rivers burst their banks, forcing families from their homes overnight.

In Potrerillos, a small town in flood-prone Cortés Department, the water rose so suddenly that many people could grab only a mattress or a small bag of belongings before fleeing. Some barely had time to run to schools converted into emergency shelters.

Tirza, a 38-year-old mother of three, has experienced floods, but this was the first time she had to leave everything behind.

“We’ve been affected before; during Hurricanes Eta and Iota this classroom was offered to us as a shelter.”

Now, even weeks after Tropical Storm Sara, Tirza is still sheltering with her three children and her husband, whose disability makes finding work difficult.

She added: “We rent, so we have nowhere to go. We barely had time to leave, and now we’ve lost everything.”

Nelly, a 35-year-old mother, managed to evacuate with her son, who is recovering from a severe pneumonia infection that hospitalized him just six weeks before the floods.

“Our home is damaged, and my son still isn’t fully recovered,” she shares. “He’s in discomfort, and I worry about how we’ll manage his medical care.”

When heavy rains hit northern Honduras’ mountainous terrain further inland, the risk of landslides becomes as pressing a concern as floods.

In La Suyapa, a hilly neighbourhood in Atlántida’s La Ceiba municipality, floodwaters cut off access, delaying assistance and complicating clean up. Families dried mattresses and clothing outside, attempting to salvage belongings as municipal disaster authorities inspected damage.

Several homes suffered damage, with cracks appearing in support walls as soil and debris piled up.

Alvin, a 50-year-old family man from La Ceiba’s Melgar neighbourhood, lost three family homes when the land beneath them gave way.

“We saw the raw power of nature. Years of work gone in a day,” he said.

“I don’t know what to do. I can barely provide food – how do I start over?”

For many La Ceiba residents, their first step in starting over involves placing massive tarps on unstable hillsides and digging mud away from their homes.

The National Humanitarian Forum’s Local Coordination Team in the Sula Valley pre-positioned supplies to support local and national response efforts. COPECO and local authorities provided initial assistance, ensuring affected families received relief.

The World Food Programme (WFP) activated anticipatory action mechanisms in late November as the storm approached, providing more than 6,170 families with food kits, vouchers and cash transfers. Another 1,320 families were set to receive aid in the following weeks.

“It’s always the lowest areas that get hit the hardest,” said María, 33, from Choloma. “When the floods block off the streets, it affects everyone. We usually end up cut off from the city.”

Access challenges often delay recovery. And with communities facing flooding year after year, continued food assistance is crucial. As repeated flooding continues to disrupt lives, María emphasized how vital this support is for vulnerable families: “Receiving this has helped us a lot."

"It’s a big help, especially for those of us who don’t have any other support. Most of us have benefited a lot from it."

Concerns about displacement remain. Many families were affected by the storm but also by ongoing violence and insecurity. In Rivera Hernández, a neighbourhood in the Cortés capital of San Pedro Sula, considered one of Honduras’ most violent neighbourhoods, security concerns constrained humanitarian access amid the storm. Llanos de Sula, another storm-hit San Pedro Sula neighbourhood, has been largely inaccessible due to violence for more than 18 months.

As climate change fuels more intense storms and longer droughts, Honduras’ most vulnerable communities face growing risks. The impact of Tropical Storm Sara and the ensuing cold front comes amid broader humanitarian challenges.

Climate-related crises influenced by El Niño and La Niña – hurricanes, floods and droughts – alongside violence and increased migration into and through Honduras are exacerbating humanitarian needs. An estimated 1.6 million people – about 16 per cent of Honduras' population – need assistance.

The recently launched Honduras Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for 2025 aims to assist 800,000 people. It requires US$138 million for the National Humanitarian Forum’s efforts in support of Government-led relief and recovery operations.

Last year, the United States covered over 66% of Honduras' humanitarian funding needs. The UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), Sweden, the European Commission, and Canada were also among the top contributors.