El Salvador, San Salvador 5 June 2020
Amidst a country lockdown due to COVID-19, Tropical Storm Amanda hit El Salvador on May 31 causing considerable damage to main roads and infrastructure nationwide. Tropical Storm Amanda is estimated to be the most devastating weather disaster in El Salvador in 22 years since Hurricane Mitch in 1998. WFP estimates that 336,300 people located in the most affected areas by the storm are severely food insecure.
The COVID-19 emergency in El Salvador will further be aggravated due to the damages caused by Tropical Storm Amanda, increasing the number of families already in food insecurity and dire conditions. The country was already suffering a disruption of economic activities, inflation of food prices and significant reduction in remittances, meanwhile reaching almost three-months of lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19. As a result, WFP is preparing to further scale-up its emergency operations to reach an additional 153,500 people over the next two months.

In the photo: Food distribution by WFP staff to families in a school that has been turned into a temporary shelter
Photo: WFP/David Fernandez