The EU will redirect $ 17.4 million to help Guatemala

Guatemala.- L Union Europe in (EU) announced today that it is "reorienting" some $ 17.4 million to support Guatemala after the eruption of Fuego which left 113 dead and 332 missing

Due to the needs of rehabilitation and restructuring, the EU "intends to to reorient its aid to Guatemala with $ 11.6 million in budget support. "The modalities for the activation of these funds will be the subject of technical consultations with the Guatemalan authorities to provide them as soon as possible," he said in a statement. , in which he recalls that this contribution adds to the $ 466,000 channeled by the Guatemalan Red Cross for the purchase of "basic necessities" during the first days of

The EU also has on the ground a mission of four experts in lahars, infrasound surveillance, early warning and risk management to "support the country to cope with the risks arising from the activity of Volcán de Fuego "

To these are added four members of the Emergency Response Coordination Center of the Directorate of Humanitarian Aid of the European Commission, two teams that will stay until July 21 to collaborate with their experience.

The EU participates with the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) ) to the needs badessment after the disaster ", which they expect to see materialized" in a few weeks "references for reconstruction and rehabilitation.

The EU ambbadador to Guatemala, Stefano Gatto, said that this announcement reaffirms "commitment" with the country of Central America.

And he hoped that this support would help to improve the living conditions of people who face a difficult situation after the explosion

The eruption June 3 of Volcano Fire the largest of the last years, left, in addition to the 113 dead and the 332 missing, more than 3,000 Guatemalan refugees and more than 1.7 million affected in the departments of Escuintla, Sacatepéquez and Chimaltenango , some of whom have lost everything