Mitch leaves nation in ruins
Wake of destruction left by hurricane unparalleled in the annals of Honduran history

Several houses hang precariously on the steep slopes of Cerro El Berrinche (Comayagüela) as curious capital city residents watch on the other side of the Río Choluteca. (Photos by Eric Schwimmer.)

By ERIC SCHWIMMER

TEGUCIGALPA -- The skies cleared this week and the sun has come out now and then, allowing Hondurans to get a firsthand look at the extent of the devastation caused by Hurricane Mitch and to begin reconstruction.

And a monumental cleanup and rebuilding task it will be: Aside from the 6,420 dead and 11,000 missing, nearly 20 percent of the nation's 5.3 million people are homeless or unable to return to their homes due to flooding and as much as 60 percent of the nation's infrastructure and 70 percent of the crops were destroyed.

No one in their wildest dreams here could have ever imagined the enormous amount of devastation Mitch or any other hurricane for that matter could inflict. True, many people recall Hurricane Fifi, which destroyed North Coast banana plantations and killed an estimated 6,000 people. But that was just the North Coast, the Caribbean, where hurricane damage is expected every once in a while.

This time it was different. After slowly moving west toward Belize and the Yucatan peninsula, Mitch -- a rare category 5 hurricane with sustained winds reaching 180 mph on Oct.27 -- suddenly veered south, first pounding the island of Guanaja and then moving onto the Honduran mainland.

Downgraded to a tropical storm, Mitch's still heavy winds and torrential rains wreaked havoc on the fertile Aguan and Sula valleys, destroying thousands of hectares of banana and African palm plantations.

Continuing on its path across the nation, the storm dumped upwards of 40 inches of rain on the unprepared mountainous central and southern departments of Honduras with unprecedented and devastating results.

Scores of bridges and sections of road were washed out, entire communities wiped off the map, and food crops destroyed. When the rains subsided Saturday, virtually every city, town and village in the country was incommunicado by road.

Torrential rains caused the waters of the Río Choluteca to rise on Saturday, covering the Puente Mallol, one of four bridges linking Tegucigalpa with Comayagüela. (Photo by Hauke Hoops.)

The lack of adequate preparation soon became apparent. From Yoro to Choluteca, shortages of food, water and medicine were reported. Rescue teams were undermanned and underequipped to help the thousands stranded on rooftops or high ground. Telephone service and electricity were down in many communities. And the initial lack of police or military presence in the cities allowed hundreds of looters to ransack unprotected residences and businesses.

Stunned by the magnitude of the hurricane, the government began to take drastic steps once the rains had ceased.

Among the measures implemented by the government are:

* The suspension of several constitutional rights for 15 days and a 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew to prevent looting and vandalism;

* Gasoline rationing. Gasoline station hours are 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and private vehicle owners can purchase no more than Lps. 100 of fuel;

* A price freeze on 32 basic consumer goods, including rice, beans, wheat, corn, meat, vegetable oil, eggs, milk, margarine, orange, plantains, onion, potatoes, tomatoes, sugar, coffee and soap;

* Suspension of classes and the closure of all educational centers, public and private, until further notice.

Although the exact amount of damage wrought by Mitch may never be known, preliminary figures for repairing just the nation's infrastructure have been estimated at $2 billion.

Among the key infrastructure destroyed were the puentes Juan Ramon Molina, Loarque and El Prado in Tegucigalpa, the puente Cangrejal near La Ceiba, the puente La Colorada near El Progreso on the highway between San Pedro Sula and Tela, and the recently inaugurated Choluteca bridge.

Sections of all major highways were washed out or covered by landslides and fallen trees, making vehicular transportation impossible. On just the recently inaugurated highway between Tegucigalpa and Valle de Angles, six sections were washed out.

More tragic was the destruction of entire communities and residential districts, such as Morolica in Choluteca department and Guacamaya (between Santa Rita and El Progreso), which were literally wiped off the map by heavy flooding.

In the fruit export industry, one of the nation's principal moneymakers, a Tela Railroad Company official said in a La Tribuna report that 100 percent of his company's banana and African palm plantations were destroyed with losses and damages (including infrastructure) calculated at $850 million.

Foreign aid immediately began pouring in last week, beginning with a US$125,000 donation made by the U.S. government Oct. 28 that has since been raised to $2 million. On Wednesday (Nov. 4), the European Commission announced it was donating 6.8 million ecus (approximately $8 million) in humanitarian aid to the Central American nations affected by Hurricane Mitch, while the Republic of China has donated $800,000 dollars in aid.

In other assistance, Radio America reported that the Cuban government has sent a medical brigade to La Ceiba that will provide medical assistance to hurricane victims in La Mosquitia. Also, crewmen of a British warship are currently helping to reestablish water supply and electric power on the island of Guanaja, where an estimated 2,000 people were left homeless.

Meanwhile, first lady Mary de Flores announced the creation of the Fundacion Maria, a special fund to channel monetary, food and medical assistance to hurricane victims.

However, all the news isn't bad. Roatan escaped relatively unscathed from the hurricane and is now preparing to receive tourists -- the island's chief moneymaker -- again.

The maquilas (apparel and assembly plants) in San Pedro Sula and satellite cities were for the most part spared and should be functioning normally soon. Nevertheless, they reported losses of $2 million daily as a result of the storm.

Best of all the El Cajon reservoir has regained its optimal water level, allowing all four generators to work at full capacity and reducing the need for imported oil that is required to run the nation's thermal generators.

Miramesi victims make plans for the future

TEGUCIGALPA -- Hurricane Mitch wiped out four communities in the capital. Among these the riverbank community of Miramesi of approximately 1,000 people was completely displaced.

Residents say that during the dawn of Saturday (Oct. 31), flood waters forced them to higher ground three times before they could climb no further. From this final high point they decided to abandon the area, cutting across a coffee field to find assess to El Chile Bridge that leads into Tegucigalpa.

Unfortunately the bridge was also covered with water and several people were washed off. The timely arrival of Boy Scout Leader German Rivera and his troop of scouts proved a godsend. The scouts were able to pull out the people hanging on the bridge and no one perished. German had been watching the situation from across the river and realized that the people would need help.

After escorting flood victims to safety, the Scouts lent further assistance, finding them shelters in Tegucigalpa. Former Miramesi residents are now being lodged in three different shelters in Barrio Buenos Aires. Many of the inhabitants had resided in the area for more than 20 years.

After the initial shock of being homeless wore off and basic food, water, and shelter needs were taken care, Miramesi residents have started to organize and look to the future with the help of relief volunteer Michael Miller. Miller is volunteer supported by the Presbyterian Church.

The close-knit community has decided to stay together and is currently thinking about starting a micro-enterprise to finance the construction of New Miramesi in another location. They have organized themselves into three committees toward this end: one will approach the mayor's office about land, another will raise funds, and a third will be in charge of organizing and communicating with the people of Miramesi.

Motivation and spirits are high. They feel if they stick together there is hope for the future.

If you wish to make a contribution to the victims of Miramesi, please contact: (in Honduras), Raul Reyes, Patronato Miramesi, beeper phone 239-2440, #2776; (in the United States), Central Presbyterian Church, St. Louis, Missouri, Project New Miramesi Relief Fund, phone (314) 727-2777.

By BLANCA MORENO

"Honduras is mortally wounded but not in agony," stated President Flores when he asked for solidarity with the thousands of dead, wounded and homeless as a result of Hurricane Mitch.

Before the nation on national and international radio and television, Flores made a desperate call for help to the international community for Hondurans affected by the national disaster caused by heavy rains and flooding.

"It's obvious to all Honduran residents that we are facing a national disaster of historic proportions that in some parts of the country can be considered a public calamity," he said.

"The information we have been able to gather presents a panorama of death, desolation and destruction nationwide. There is almost no place in Honduras that has not been touched. This pathetic data will most assuredly increase with access to several places still isolated and as soon as it is possible to conclude evacuation.

"Overflowing rivers and landslides have caused complete barrios to disappear even though extensive preventive efforts were made for early evacuations, but still not all the affected were able to be saved; many victims have for more than five days sat on the roofs of their homes, without food, exposed to the weather, waiting to be rescued.

"Bodies are everywhere, victims of landslides and the waters. The most conservative calculations estimate thousands not hundreds of deaths. Many municipal governments have begun to run out of food and potable water. The capital of Republic is in a disastrous, calamitous situation. On top of it all, the death of Tegucigalpa Mayor Dr. Cesar Castellanos in a fatal helicopter accident while working with relief efforts has left citizens desolate. Dr. Castellanos was a exemplary, diligent, and dynamic leader, much hope had been placed in him for the reordering and reconstruction of the city. Now, the best tribute that we can give Dr. Castellanos is to follow his plans for a new capital.

"Agricultural production has been lost, including products for internal consumption as well as for export. Most affected were the plantations of bananas, coffee, cantaloupe, watermelon, palm oil, tomato, basic grains and other cereals.

"A few minutes ago, in the Council of Ministers, we agreed to take extraordinary measures, destined to exercise control over the situation, avoid looting and vandalism and put the severely damaged national life into order bit by bit.

"Although some constitutional rights will be temporarily suspended, individual freedom, freedom of press, freedom to associate and meet, and all rights pertaining to the inherent liberty of the citizenry to work, reconstruct their own lives and collaborate in the emergency tasks and normalization activities are guaranteed.

"We are making an urgent call to the international community, to sister governments and friends, financial and aid organizations, international relief organizations and to human solidarity, so that this SOS sent from Honduras is heard.

"Our people our behaving in a patient and dignified manner; their capacity for supporting suffering and pain has never been put to such a hard and bitter test. But we will overcome this tragedy. We will cry and bury our dead with dignity. Then, we will rinse away our tears and start over again. We will once again work the fields and the shops, the factories and the offices. We will return to school, and the task of survival and development."

First lady Mary de Flores has also joined the relief and reconstruction efforts. A letter from her stated that her office has opened a bank account with the NationsBank of Miami, Florida for donations to help hurricane victims that will be channeled through the Maria Foundation of which she is president. They will also soon set up an Internet site were the most recent information will be available.

She also appealed to the international community for basic consumer goods such as food, milk, medicine, diapers, baby bottles and insecticides for preventing epidemics. Information about how individuals and organizations can help may be obtained at Honduran embassies and consulates.