The following excerpt is from a June 9, 2010 article published by The Guatemala Times. Click here to read the article in its entirety.
MESOAMERICAN FOOD SECURITY EARLY WARNING SYSTEM. On May 29, a low pressure system that was stationary 
off the coast of southern Guatemala became the first tropical storm of the East Pacific hurricane season. Tropical Storm Agatha produced high winds and torrential rains, though the storm weakened as it moved inland, dissipating by the morning of May 30. Nevertheless, the storm system produced up to 600 mm of rainfall over six days (May 25 to 30), particularly in the department of Suchitepéquez and along the border with El Salvador.
Most of the country received significant amounts of rainfall, nearly 200 percent above the May average, causing flooding, landslides, and infrastructure damage. Preliminary government reports, which are changing daily, estimate that the storm has caused 156 deaths, affected more than 135,000 people, and displaced 76,000 people. There are concerns about the impact of the storm on food security in affected areas, given the potentially significant loss of the maize harvest expected to begin in August, as well as associated labor opportunities. Such losses would have the most impact on the western highlands, where the harvest is not expected until November…
Click here to read the rest of the article, here to read more about the food crisis, or here to read more about Tropical Storm Agatha.
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