Involvement of the municipalities, civil defense authorities and local fire departments is contemplated. The U.S. Embassy in Managua is expected to issue a disaster declaration on May 22. The timing and amounts of this assistance will be determined in coordination with Paul Bell, OFDA's Senior Regional Advisor in San Jose, Costa Rica. Most fires in Honduras continue to be ground fires caused by agricultural burning. There are no major forest fires as of today, nor are there any populations centers menaced by fire.
Air quality is variable by location.
Generally, smoke-related visibility problems have improved in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula. Some international carriers, including TACA and American Airlines, have resumed normal service to San Pedro Sula and flights landed as scheduled yesterday. According to the U.S. Embassy in San Salvador, the entire country is vulnerable to forest fires due to El Nino-related drought. OFDA has trained 25 Salvadoran instructors in fire management, and COEN has trained 680 volunteer firefighters. However, efforts have been hindered by a lack of equipment and tools.