Honduras Stronger: First Responder Training

Aerial Recovery Group touched down in Honduras on January 30 for their second mission after the devastation caused by Hurricanes Eta & Iota in November left tens of thousands of people displaced and without critical supplies and basic necessities like food, clean water and proper shelter. Aerial’s promise is to be with nations through all five phases of recovery -  resiliency planning, first response, emergency relief, recovery management, and innovative redevelopment. This five phase disaster management plan provides not only emergency aid immediately after the storm but critical training and roadmaps for economic opportunities so communities can rebuild quickly. 

According to Amnesty International, the two hurricanes left at least 94 dead affecting almost 4 million people across the nation, and analysts say they could cause the level of poverty to rise by 10%, surpassing 70% of the population. Many governments in disaster-prone areas are already understaffed & underfunded, and adding a billion dollar natural disaster on top of that can be catastrophic. Aerial Recovery Group is able to not only bring in teams to help with emergency relief efforts on the ground but funding from multiple partners as well. Our guarantee is to respond to a disaster within 48 hours, be with the affected country throughout the entire process, to be available 24/7 for relief efforts, and work hand-in-hand with governments on critical rebuilding and revitalization efforts - in order to ensure nations can come back stronger than ever. 

During this mission, our Volunteer Corps will return to the San Pedro Sula area to work on two critical projects:

• Conducting swift water rescue training with Cepudo Foundation first responders in order to make them better prepared for future disasters.
• Distributing much-needed aid to the remote, hardest-hit and most devastated areas of Honduras through partnerships with  NGOs Food for the Poor and Global Empowerment Mission.

One of Aerial’s goals for this trip is to help equip locals with the knowledge and skills they need to respond to natural disasters in the future in order to save and protect the most lives. Our team of skilled professionals and trained military special forces will be teaching local rescue volunteers from the Red Cross, members of Fire Departments in the San Pedro Sula area, and employees of the Cepudo Foundation how to be better prepared for emergency response after natural disasters. 

In addition to the critical training for first responders, our Volunteer Corps is also preparing and distributing food to local families who have been struggling to feed their families in the weeks and months following the hurricanes. 

On the first day of the trip, the team met Magdalena, a local restaurant owner who has fed 300 people daily for the past 2 months. That’s 900 meals a day! And instead of using her space as a restaurant, she is keeping it open for NGOs and volunteers to use for distributing aid. One of our volunteers said it best: “If you have the means to help others, it's your responsibility to do something about it. ” 

To get daily updates during our mission in Honduras, make sure to visit Instagram and Facebook at @aerialrecoverygroup or visit our YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/AerialRecoveryGroup. 

During the trip, the boots on the ground team will be debriefing nightly on Clubhouse. Follow @BritnieTurner to listen in at 9pm EST.

Want to join the recovery? Donate to the emergency aid & relief efforts through our 501(c)3 nonprofit Aerial Global Community visit www.aerialglobalcommunity.org/honduras.

100% of the funds donated go directly to the needs of the people affected. The Aerial Volunteer Corps hand delivers emergency aid to areas badly affected. If you feel led to donate, know 100% of your funds will be used to help people that have lost EVERYTHING.

Your support means everything to the people of Honduras. Donate, follow, share and repost to help spread the word and help the people of Honduras recover and rebuild stronger than before. #HondurasStronger