Hurricane Stan 2005

Women in Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala queuing with colourful jerry cans for water from an Oxfam tank. Photo: Héctor Oliva

Oxfam's response to Hurricane Stan focused on water, sanitation and hygiene promotion with those affected by the disaster.

The situation

Hurricane Stan triggers mudslides and floods in Central America
Guatemala worst affected with hundreds dead and thousands more made homeless

I lost everything in the mudslide. I nearly lost my 15-month-old baby, in the mud. It's a miracle that he's still alive. We were only able to escape because my husband had some ropes at home which we used to get away.

Antonia Sosa Quic, Guatemala

We concentrated our relief efforts in Guatemala.

In pictures: Oxfam in action

Oxfam's response at a glance

Providing water and sanitation facilities to displaced families
Helping build temporary shelters
Distributing food to the most-vulnerable people
Distributing hygiene kits and promoting good hygiene practices
Helping people to regain ways of making a living

Preparing for disaster

Hurricanes and tropical storms occur regularly in Central America and the Caribbean. We work with communities to help them prepare for, and so be less vulnerable to, future disasters.