Central America, Colombia, Mexico

• On November 15 to 16, 2020, Hurricane Iota, at its peak a Category 5 storm, pummeled parts of northern Colombia, particularly the islands of San Andrés and Providencia in the Caribbean Sea

• The storm’s heavy rains caused flooding and landslides

• Hurricane Iota made landfall in Nicaragua on November 16, 2020, and then continued on to other parts of Central America, intensifying the damage wreaked by Hurricane Eta earlier in the month

Central America

• Costa Rica

  • 22 publishers were displaced

• Guatemala

  • 93 publishers were displaced

• Honduras

  • 1,531 publishers were displaced

  • 2 publishers suffered minor injuries

• Nicaragua

  • 75 publishers were displaced

• Panama

  • 16 publishers were displaced

Colombia

• • 1 publisher on Providencia suffered a broken arm

  • 1 publisher on San Andrés suffered a minor injury

Mexico

• • 1,248 publishers were displaced in the states of Tabasco and Veracruz

Central America

• Costa Rica

  • 9 homes were damaged

• Guatemala

  • 18 homes were damaged

  • 7 Kingdom Halls sustained minor damage

  • 2 Kingdom Halls were severely damaged

• Honduras

  • 7 Kingdom Halls sustained minor damage

  • 227 homes were damaged

• Nicaragua

  • 106 homes were damaged

  • 3 Kingdom Halls sustained minor damage

• Panama

  • 5 homes were damaged

  • 2 Kingdom Halls were severely damaged

Colombia

• • Initial reports indicate that many of our brothers’ homes on Providencia sustained heavy damage and the Kingdom Hall was destroyed. Communication with the island is currently limited, since the island’s infrastructure was decimated by the storm

  • 20 homes and 1 Kingdom Hall sustained minor damage on San Andrés

Mexico

• • 184 homes were damaged

• The Colombia Branch Committee has appointed a Disaster Relief Committee (DRC) to assist publishers. The DRC and the circuit overseer in the region are coordinating their efforts as they provide relief aid and spiritual comfort

• The Central America branch appointed four DRCs to coordinate the relief efforts for those affected by Hurricanes Eta and Iota in Central America and Mexico. Circuit overseers are providing spiritual encouragement and practical help to the affected families. Additionally, local congregations have assisted in providing over 400 food packages to brothers and sisters in Honduras and Nicaragua. Where necessary, those displaced are being accommodated in the homes of Witnesses who live in safe areas

• The brothers and sisters involved in the disaster relief efforts are vigilant to comply with COVID-19 safety guidelines

Though our fellow worshippers are not immune to the difficult circumstances of this system, including those caused by natural disasters, they are confidently relying on our God, Jehovah, as their refuge.—Psalm 142:5.