8 Nov 2011

UN / BRAGG CENTRAL AMERICA

Assistant-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Catherine Bragg said today that although the Central American floods are not making headlines, “for hundreds of thousands of people, it is a major disaster.” Bragg said that flash appeals for Nicaragua and El Salvador are so far only partially funded. UNTV/ OCHA

Posted at: November 8, 2011 6:21 pm

Duration: 02:25

Available in: SD

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STORY: UN / BRAGG CENTRAL AMERICA
TRT: 2.25
SOURCE: UNTV / OCHA
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / SPANISH / NATS

DATELINE: 8 NOVEMBER 2011, NEW YORK CITY / 4-5 NOVEMBER, EL SALVADOR

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

1.	Wide shot, exterior United Nations headquarters

8 NOVEMBER 2011, NEW YORK CITY

2.	Wide shot, dais
3.	Med shot, journalist
4.	SOUNDBITE (English) Catherine Bragg, Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
"The situation there may not have made international headlines, probably because flooding is not dramatic nor violent like an earthquake or hurricane, and the current disaster involves small countries with no major or well known cities, unlike what is happening in, say, Bangkok. But for hundreds of thousands of people, it is a major disaster."
5.	Med shot, journalist
6.	SOUNDBITE (English) Catherine Bragg, Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
"Thousands of homes have been damaged and hundreds of schools, roads, and health facilities are closed. Waterborne diseases are spreading and children are unable to go to school. Perhaps more worrying, thousands of acres of crops, which were just ready to be harvested have been destroyed, making it increasingly difficult for people to get enough food for the next six months. While visiting families in both countries, the one phrase I heard over and over again from people I talked to was: We lost everything."
7.	Med shot, journalist
8.	SOUNDBITE (English) Catherine Bragg, Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
"Central American countries are not countries with large resources. Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the region, after Haiti. The scale of the disaster is so large that it is beyond their capability to manage alone. This was the latest in a long series of annual crises with a cumulative effect that many Salvadorans and Nicaraguans have lost their traditional coping mechanisms."

OCHA - 4-5 NOVEMBER, EL SALVADOR

9.	Various shots, Bragg arrives to remote communities via helicopter
10.	Wide shot, woman and son survey damage on plantain plantation in El Salvador
11.	SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Maria Magdelena Meija, Plantain Farmer: 
"My family is doing very badly because this is our livelihood."
12.	Med shot, Bragg greets woman at plantain farm
13.	Various shots, flood damage, including cracks in walls, water marks in houses and damaged bedroom
14.	Med shot, woman explaining damage to Bragg
15.	Tilt up, man telling Bragg about damage
16.	Wide shot, flooded house.

STORYLINE:

United Nations (UN) deputy humanitarian chief, Catherine Bragg, spoke to reporters today (8 November) upon completing a four-day visit to Nicaragua and El Salvador Saturday to highlight the impact of recent flooding in Central America.

Bragg said that the situation there "may not have made international headlines" as it involves, unlike Bangkok, "small countries with no major or well known cities." Nevertheless, she said, "for hundreds of thousands of people, it is a major disaster."

Up to 300,000 people fled the floods in El Salvador during the peak of the rains in October, and the homes and livelihoods of 143,000 people have been affected by heavy rains in Nicaragua.

Bragg pointed out that thousands of homes have been damaged and hundreds of schools, roads, and health facilities remain closed while waterborne diseases are spreading.

She said that "perhaps more worrying, thousands of acres of crops, which were just ready to be harvested have been destroyed, making it increasingly difficult for people to get enough food for the next six months."

While visiting families in both countries, Bragg said "the one phrase" she heard over and over again from people was: "We lost everything."

The humanitarian deputy chief noted that Central American nations do not have large resources, Nicaragua being the second poorest country in the region, after Haiti.

She said the scale of the disaster "is so large that it is beyond their capability to manage alone" as after a long series of crises "many Salvadorans and Nicaraguans have lost their traditional coping mechanisms."

During her trip, Bragg met many of the victims who shared their stories.

Maria Magdelena Meija, a Salvadoran plantain farmer said that her family is doing "very badly" as they have lost their crops and their livelihood.

El Salvador received 1.5 meters of rain in 10 days which is what this country would receive on average in a whole year.

The UN is mobilizing international assistance to complement government action, and last week launched emergency appeals for both countries. But the 14 million dollar appeal for Nicaragua is currently only 22 percent funded, while the 15.7 million dollar appeal for El Salvador is only 23 percent funded.