Hurricanes devastated Honduras. Here’s how Bradenton residents can help relief effort

With a one-two punch, Hurricanes Eta and Iota brought sudden devastation to Central America within a span of two weeks.

In Honduras, one of the nations hit hardest by the storms, newscasts flashed images of families as they evacuated severely flooded areas by the thousands, homes destroyed and communities left without food and water.

“I am in pain because I have lost all my assets,” one Honduran man told the media, fighting back tears. “I had been struggling for years to have my house and now I am left on the street.”

This Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., a Bradenton fundraiser will collect money and supplies to provide some relief to struggling Hondurans.

Organizers have planned a day of food, music and charity in the parking lot of El Cortez Night Club, 108 44th Ave. E., Bradenton.

Some of the event planners have ties to the region, such as local DJ JC Colindres, while others, like Colombian vocalist Eliana La Colombiana, are joining the cause in solidarity.

Event organizer Hilda Portalatin is Puerto Rican, but said her boyfriend and several friends are from Honduras.

“Right now they’re swimming in dirty water again,” Portalatin said. “There are a lot of children sleeping under underpasses. Women sleeping with their children on the floor. No homes. No roof over their heads anymore. It breaks my heart.”

The country of her roots has also felt the ravages of tropical storms. In 2017, Hurricane Maria ultimately left almost 3,000 Puerto Ricans dead and many more with damaged or destroyed homes.

“It was just like repeating Puerto Rico again,” Portalatin, 47, said of the recent hurricanes.

Items sought for the Honduras relief drive include non-perishable food, bottled water, baby formula and bottles, hygiene items, over-the-counter medicines and toiletries.

Those who stop by the event can also contribute to the cause with the purchase of drinks and pollo con tajadas, a traditional Honduran dish of fried chicken, fried plantains and slaw.

Organizers are also requesting financial donations to help fund the delivery of the supplies.

Portalatin said she is having her passport renewed so that she can personally accompany and distribute the items, which might not otherwise make it to those in need.

Even before Eta and Iota slammed Honduras with the worst natural disasters since Hurricane Mitch in 1998, the region had one of the highest poverty rates in Central America. The country’s economic future became more uncertain this year with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The process of recovery is now likely to be a long and difficult one for the Central American country and its neighbors.

In the meantime, its people still need food, clothing and essentials to get by.

And, Portalatin adds, some love.

“It could happen to any one us,” Portalatin said. “And we all need to show love for one another. We need to do this in these days and times. It doesn’t matter where you come from. We’re all human.”

Donations requested:

• Personal hygiene products like bar soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, feminine hygiene products, combs, toilet paper, baby wipes, towels and blankets;
• Non-perishable food, bottled water, canned goods, grains, pastas, baby food, boxed milk and snacks;
• Over-the-counter medicines like acetaminophen, burn creams, Pedialyte/electrolyte solution, etc.;
  
  
• Kitchen utensils like plates and cutlery;
• Cash donations for hot meals and shipping costs.

The fundraiser will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday in the parking lot of El Cortez Night Club, 08 44th Ave. E., Bradenton.