COVID-19 and hurricanes: the double threat facing the children of Central America and the Caribbean

More than 70 million children in Central America and the Caribbean are directly or indirectly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the most active phase of the hurricane season threatens to further aggravate their situation, according to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).

UNICEF warned in a statement that displacement, damage to infrastructure and disruption of services due to the storms, particularly in coastal areas, could make children and families more vulnerable to the disease and its impacts. The agency is particularly concerned that a powerful storm could seriously undermine ongoing efforts to stop the transmission of the disease.

In such a situation, the virus could easily spread in crowded emergency shelters or places of displacement where physical separation would be difficult to ensure. Also, existing control measures such as handwashing and effective case management could fail if water, sanitation and health infrastructure were damaged or destroyed.

"In the coming days and weeks, children and families will be at risk of being hit simultaneously by two disasters, COVID-19 and the hurricanes. This is the perfect storm that we fear for the Caribbean and Central America. As we continue to take precautions to keep families safe from COVID-19, hurricane preparedness efforts are now also vital to mitigate the spread of the virus among the most vulnerable communities," said UNICEF Regional Director Bernt Aasen.

The agency said the pandemic itself is already putting considerable strain on the region's national and local health systems, raising serious questions about their ability to respond in the event of a catastrophic hurricane. In addition, movement restrictions and budget deficits linked to the current crisis are hampering national hurricane preparedness efforts.

The Caribbean region in particular is expected to experience an increase in the intensity of storms and hence population displacement in the coming years. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has already projected that there is a 60 per cent chance that the 2020 hurricane season will be more active than normal, with an average of 15 named storms, including 8 hurricanes and 4 major hurricanes.

In late May, Tropical Storm Amanda caused flooding and landslides in parts of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. At least 33 people died in the region, including a child, and thousands were displaced. In addition, all three countries have confirmed cases of COVID-19. In the period between 2010 and 2019 alone, the storms caused 895,000 new displacements of children in the Caribbean and 297,000 in Central America.

UNICEF is working throughout the region to support hurricane preparedness efforts and public health responses to COVID-19 through education, community outreach and technical support to governments.

The agency is also encouraging local and national authorities to ensure that hurricane response plans are adapted to reflect the risks associated with the pandemic and to expand access to essential services including health, protection, water and sanitation for vulnerable children and families.

UNICEF has already positioned vital supplies to deliver to thousands of children in risk areas in Barbados, Antigua, Trinidad & Tobago and Central America, including more than 18,500 water tanks, 7,500 water purification tables, 130 tents, hundreds of critical hygiene items and education and recreation kits.