D.C. area immigrants offering aid to flooded Central American countries

The immigrant community in Washington is mobilizing humanitarian assistance for Central American countries where heavy rains have caused dozens of deaths, landslides, flooding and damage to infrastructure in the past week.

The Salvadoran, Honduran and Guatemalan consulates said Monday that they were organizing to collect financial support for the areas affected by torrential rains, which remained under a state of emergency Monday.

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According to the Associated Press, at least 66 deaths have been reported in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

The Salvadoran community in Washington, Maryland and Virginia began to collect cash donations on Sunday at the consulate offices in Washington and Woodbridge and at several Latino businesses across the region.

Local Spanish radio stations have been announcing the humanitarian efforts expected to continue through the week.

On Sunday, the Salvadoran government officially requested international humanitarian assistance. It has made an official request to the State Department, said Francisco Altschul, El Salvador’s ambassador to the United States.

El Salvador has experienced half its annual rainfall in just six days, Altschul said. As of Monday, reports included 32 deaths, more than 20,000 displaced Salvadorans and more than 14,000 flooded homes, he said.

He said his government plans to petition the Obama administration to reduce the number of deportations of Salvadorans. El Salvador is also considering making a request for Temporary Protected Status for undocumented Salvadorans in the country, he said. The United States granted TPS to Salvadorans after two devastating earthquakes in 2001.

“The situation is alarming,” Altschul said, noting that rain is expected to continue through Wednesday. “We expect reports of more damage.”