Honduras places 80% of country on El Nino drought alert
Authorities said 75 municipalities are at red alert as low reservoirs, crop losses and livestock deaths threaten food security.
- On Wednesday, August 19, 2026, Honduras's risk management agency, COPECO, declared a red alert for 75 municipalities facing severe drought fueled by El Nino.
- Central America's Dry Corridor, an arid region spanning Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua, remains most vulnerable as El Nino warms Pacific surface temperatures, triggering worldwide shifts in rainfall patterns.
- Nationwide, 234 municipalities are under alert, with Tegucigalpa's 1.7 million residents topping the high-risk list. Cattle rancher Francisco Euceda told AFP, "Cattle have died, and the cows we still have are thin."
- Honduran President Nasry Asfura announced emergency measures, including drilling new wells and delivering food, with officials expecting the crisis to persist until March or April of next year.
- The initial red alert carries 120-day validity, with extension decisions expected around December, while meteorological agencies warn of greater than 90 percent odds of a strong El Nino event.
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(Mexico City = Yonhap News) Correspondent Song Gwang-ho = Latin America is facing severe drought and a food crisis due to an "unprecedented" El Niño phenomenon combined with global warming.
The Honduran government has placed nearly 80% of the country on alert due to water shortages, which threaten crops, livestock, and the food supply for many communities. The situation is expected to worsen in the coming months due to the El Niño weather phenomenon.
COPECO activated the maximum level of emergency in the center and south of the country, within the Dry Corridor, in the face of the rain deficit that threatens crops, animals and human water consumption.
Honduras declared 234 of its 298 municipalities on alert for a severe drought associated with El Niño. Tegucigalpa and 74 other demarcations are under red alert, the highest risk category
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