Marinajo and I are in Denver caring for my brother in law Archie. We were not in Honduras this last week as hurricane Eta passed through, but I did want to share what I’ve learned so that you can be praying for Honduras as well as give you some trusted ways to donate.
Loma de Luz received as much as 30” of rain and the power was out for about four days, but thank the Lord, we were spared most of the heavy damage that is being reported in other areas of the country. The Cornerstone Foundation is helping both locally and in other parts of Honduras. Scroll down to the bottom to see a list of trusted ministries that you can donate to, including Cornerstone.
One of the two bridges that we use to get into La Ceiba destroyed by the floodwaters. 
The bridge in Jutiapa with river swollen almost to the bottom of the bridge. PC: Issac Hotz 
There is a road underneath that water! PC: Issac Hotz 
Flooded roads between Jutiapa and the hospital. PC: Issac Hotz 
Tree down over power lines resulting in a four day power outage. PC: Mike Yost
Much of the information below comes from brother Mark Hoff with Bajío Christian Mission, my good friend, who has been in Honduras since 2001, lives in San Pedro Sula, and is working hard every day to provide relief. Mark has intimate knowledge of the entire area and has been invaluable in helping me understand the conditions on the ground. Another friend, Julio Campos, who works on our biomed equipment at the hospital, lives in San Pedro and has graciously contributed to the information, pics, and videos show in this post. Julio and thousands of Hondurans are giving their all to help their countrymen. I can’t believe the response from the common Honduran citizen to this disaster! Honduras will remember this time as one of the finest hours of their country! They have not waited for foreign aide or even the government, the people of Honduras have formed the bulk of the rescue and relief response and they should be immensely proud of themselves as they have brought so much honor to their country in the way that they have worked together during this tragedy! This will be remembered as the time that the Honduran citizens rose up to rescue their countrymen!
There is terrible flooding in the Sula valley in the state of Cortes, in areas like La Lima and Chamelecón. The incredibly heavy rains (over 30” I believe) swelled rivers, especially the Ulúa and Chalemecón rivers, and the they all poured into this valley and simply inundated it. The big red circle in the picture below is my best understanding of where the affected area is. By my estimation this area probably includes 100,000 – 200,000 people. There is also significant damage along the Humuya River near Santa Rita and in the city of Yoro in the state of Yoro. I’m sure there are many more areas that I do not yet know about.
Area of heavy flooding in Cortes. La Lima and Chamelecón are in this circle as well as the SAP airport. PC: Google Earth 
This has become the iconic photo of the rescue efforts as a Honduran firefighter (Bombero) rescues a child. The “hero without a cape” meme of this picture is everywhere in Honduras. 
La Lima Honduras PC: Mark Hoff 
Chamelecón area PC: Mark Hoff 
Chamelecón area PC: Mark Hoff 
Chamelecón area PC: Mark Hoff 
Chamelecón area PC: Mark Hoff 
Chamelecón area PC: Mark Hoff 
Chamelecón area PC: Mark Hoff 
Chamelecón area PC: Mark Hoff 
Chamelecón area PC: Mark Hoff 
Chamelecón area PC: Mark Hoff 
Chamelecón area PC: Mark Hoff 
Chamelecón area PC: Mark Hoff 
el Marañon PC: Mark Hoff 
el Marañon PC: Mark Hoff 
el Marañon PC: Mark Hoff 
el Marañon PC: Mark Hoff 
el Marañon PC: Mark Hoff 
Night time rescue PC: Copeco 
Rivers at flood stage on 5 November. 
Mark and the folks at Bajío Christian Mission distributing relief supplies.
The other part of this that i would like to emphasize is the way that the Honduran missionary community has stepped up to begin helping immediately! These ministries live and work here in partnership with Honduran churches already, so they can immediately act in ways that are productive and helpful. There are dozens and dozens of these types of ministries operating in Honduras.
Some needs that I’ve been made aware of:
Shovels, tarps, water filtration
Pots and pans, blow up mattresses, everyday household items
Diapers, baby needs
Non-Perishable food
Let me encourage you to donate money towards the purchase of relief items like the ones listed above. I will be glad to add ministries here that we know of. If you’d like me to add your ministry, just email me the particulars (davef@lomadeluz.net).
Bajío Christian Mission – Mark Hoff
http://www.bajiochristian.org/giving.html
Direct donation link: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=P76DWTD5292ZJ
Cornerstone Foundation
Direct donation link: https://www.crstone.org/cause/honduras-hurricane-relief/
From Hevelin Macnider (a trusted friend) who personally knows these ministries and is aware of the work that they are doing:
Here are some good FB pages to follow / friend to stay informed:
https://www.facebook.com/cornerstoneldl (Cornerstone)
https://www.facebook.com/mark.hoff.940 (Mark Hoff)
https://www.facebook.com/CasaPresidencialdeHonduras (Honduras President)
https://www.facebook.com/copeco.hn (Honduras Emergency Response – think FEMA)
https://www.facebook.com/JointTaskForceBravo (JTF B US Military in Honduras)
For those who might be wondering how this hurricane compared to Mitch from 1998 – here is a write up of Mitch, time will tell, but it doesn’t seem that the destruction from Eta is as widespread.
