Friday Oct-14-11 8:45 a.m.

Bad weather continues. Overcast to partly cloudy skies with scattered showers to heavy rain remain in almost the whole country. In the next few hours, the situation could get worse due to a low pressure system in the Caribbean that threatens to hit the northern part of the country, and another low pressure system in the Pacific Coast.

According to the scientific body at CONRED (National Coordination for Disaster Reduction of Guatemala), current rain conditions in the country could extend to next week (i.e. for another 48 hours). The country´s vulnerability is evident in the saturation of the soil, which is the main danger in populated areas and infrastructure. Any rain, however mild, could cause landslides and collapses. Rivers are still high and they need two to three weeks to vent to sea. So far, Southern to Central Regions are more at risk; however, Northern Regions could start being affected by significant rainfall.     

CONRED, in its Newsletter No.2162, reports that in areas affected by the rain in the last 48 hours, 55,811 people have been affected in the 199 incidents they covered. There are approximately 16,808 victims, and 2,551 people have been evacuated, 3,321 people have been sheltered sheltered, 2 are missing, 2 are injured, and 21 people are dead.  

UNISPICE´s team is coordinating the delivery of humanitarian aid to help victims. Our Agricultural Technical Department still has not been able to assess damage in the field. Likewise, we are doing everything possible to collect harvested product, in order to have it ready for shipments in the next few days. We will notify you of the volume achieved.