Multi-country evaluation of UNICEF’s response to hurricanes ETA & IOTA in Central America

Background

ETA, the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season’s record-tying 28th storm, began affecting northern Honduras as a category 4 hurricane approaching the north-eastern shores of neighbouring Nicaragua on 3 November, bringing torrential rains and estimated wind speeds as high as 275 km/h. During its slow three-day journey over Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala it caused rising river levels, flooding and landslides across the country. Less than two weeks later, Honduras was hit by Hurricane IOTA, a category 5 hurricane. With a slightly different trajectory than Eta, Hurricane Iota caused flooding and landslides in the northern part of Honduras, exacerbating an already difficult situation. The two storms caused severe damage across the region, estimated to be comparable to Hurricane Mitch (1998), with an estimated 9.2 million people affected by heavy rainfall, life-threatening flash flooding and landslides in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. Over 160,000 people were displaced and thousands of families lost their homes and livelihoods, many of whom had already been badly impacted by the socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis (school closures, loss of jobs, declining migrant remittances, rising violence against children and women, and disruptions in access to water and sanitation and to key health services, including vaccinations for young children) on top of pre-COVID vulnerabilities Prior to COVID-19, at least 5.2 million people in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras were already facing significant humanitarian needs related to migration flows, violence, internal displacement, food insecurity and poverty.

Purpose of the project

The purpose of the multi-country evaluation is dual, both for learning and accountability ; to account for performance and results achieved, externally (to affected populations, to donors and host governments) and internally (at the regional office and country office level), and to draw lessons learned from recent humanitarian response for future responses to hydrometeorological events in the Caribbean basin. It will determine to what extent UNICEF has reached the most vulnerable population and identified the most effective implementation strategies and partnerships for future responses, assess the quality of the response, determine the relevance of existing or developing emergency preparedness and response strategies and determine how UNICEF improve its response to future emergencies in Central America.

Methodology

Following a detailed documentary analysis, a field mission is planned for May 2022 in Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua, in the most participatory approach possible, in order to meet the stakeholders and populations concerned.