Subregional Central America – Hurricane Julia and torrential rains

Abstract

For the first time in recorded history, northern Central America suffered a third consecutive year of La Niña events. The heavy rains induced by La Niña everely impacted a region already hit by climate change, successive shocks, including the COVID-19 pandemic, violence and instability, and underlying structural factors such as poverty and inequality. The 2022 Atlantic hurricane season has been quite active, with 14 named storms of which eight became hurricanes. Several of these hit Central America triggering torrential rains that led to deadly floods, landslides and saturated soils, affecting nearly 6.3 million people across the region. Overall, the damage caused to the agriculture sector (including livestock and fisheries), as well as to livelihoods and infrastructure in rural areas, could further worsen the food security situation in a region already severely affected by rising fuel and fertilizer prices, erratic weather patterns and the COVID-19 pandemic. The consequences of the winds and heavy rains on both the upcoming harvest and planting season are putting at risk the resilience of smallholder farmers who were already food insecure.