Caritas has launched an emergency appeal to help people in Honduras rebuild their lives after a tropical storm hit the country in October.

The global network of 162 Catholic charities is calling for US$1.3 million to help Hondurans repair their homes, rebuild infrastructure and boost agricultural productivity.

Up to 270,000 people were affected by the tropical storm which swept across Honduras at the end of October. Houses and infrastructure were damaged and crops were destroyed.

Caritas Honduras initially provided emergency relief to the storm victims in the form of food, shelter and medicines.

The appeal would provide for a 12 month relief and rehabilitation project for 3,300 households. Part of the money would help guarantee food supplies to affected communities by reinvigorating the agricultural sector.

The Central American country frequently finds itself in the path of tropical storms and hurricanes. The subsequent floods and landslides leave the population vulnerable and damages the economy. Caritas Honduras undertakes projects to promote capacity building and environmental sustainability.

In 1998, Hurricane Mitch ripped across Honduras causing massive flooding in which an estimated 10,000 people were killed. Mitch destroyed homes, livelihoods and infrastructure and caused so much damage that Honduras is still trying to recover.

The effects of Mitch so weakened the country that communities have been poorly equipped to deal with subsequent disasters. 

President of Caritas Internationalis and Honduran native, Cardinal Oscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga, tells Vatican Radio about the impact of the floods. Listen here.