wfn.org | LWF aid program supports homeless and small farmers in Honduras

[FRANK_IMHOFF.parti@ecunet.org (FRANK IMHOFF)]

Hurricane "Mitch" buried whole quarters under mud and water

TEGUCIGALPA,Honduras/GENEVA, 21 December 1998 (lwi) - Two men are digging
in the mud. After a while, they manage to pull out a piece of corrugated
iron sheet. "We are looking for usable building materials to rebuild our
houses," they explain to representatives of the Lutheran World Federation
(LWF) from Geneva.

Following the recent tropical storm, now commonly referred to as hurricane
"Mitch", Roswitha Dinger, Program Secretary - Refugees in LWF- World
Service (WS), and Marlise Egli, Desk for Project Implementation and
Monitoring in the Department for Mission and Development (DMD) visited
Honduras. They gathered information locally and reported on the
consequences of the severe storm, which in mid-October swept over Central
America, causing flooding in large parts of Honduras, Nicaragua and El
Salvador.

Built on hills, the city of Tegucigalpa is divided into two by River
Choluteca. Down in the valley, closely packed together, live the poorer
while the rich reside in the hills. So far, nobody knows how many from
down there lost their lives to the storm. Normally about five to seven
meters wide, the river swelled to some 500 meters and carried away
anything it came across - houses, trees, animals and people.

On some houses, what used to be the roof can still be seen. What must have
been a car dealer shed once, is now the sight of crushed and turned-over
vehicles protruding from the debris. Even the concrete bridge could not
withstand the force of "Mitch". The center is propped up, its railings
trailing down while the underground water conduits have been torn apart.

The stench of mud and decomposing bodies is all over. Young people,
students and volunteers, wearing masks are working in shifts to dig out
the mud. Nearly four weeks after the disaster, meters and meters of mud
still pile up around and in the houses. The young people in the clearing
brigades go about their work happily. Many are wearing t-shirts
distributed by the local newspaper and bearing the logo: "We are working
for a new Honduras." Schools are closed until the end of February. For
students of social disciplines the participation in the clearing work is
credited as practical work.

The only building near the river still standing is the hospital for
low-income groups, but it was not spared a dose of the tragedy. The mud
reached the second floor, and the gushing masses partly shattered the
windows. A tree hangs out of a window. The volunteers have removed the
furniture: muddied beds, night tables and lamps now stand on the street.
Pastor Guillermo Flores, the president of the Christian Lutheran Church of
Honduras (ILCH), reports that the government has asked the churches to
take care of the homeless. Many of the former inhabitants, the local
people recount, have been taken in by relatives or are lodged in 20 camps
in the city. In the whole country, 562 temporary shelters have been put up
in churches and schools. Yet the churches do not share the government's
optimism that it will be possible to relocate these people within two
months. The churches insist that it is the government's duty to provide
the people as quickly as possible, with alternative shelter that is fit
for human habitation.

Together with the representatives of the ILCH, the WS staff planned how to
assist with the reconstruction. Altogether, the LWF emergency program will
help 700 families to rebuild their livelihoods. The process will include
the distribution of food for work and granting of small credits. Together
with the ILCH, they also discussed and assessed where help was needed
most. Other partner organizations and the United Nations were also
consulted to obtain the most up-to-date information and avoid duplication
of the aid.

The ILCH also looks after rural communities in the north of the country.
The scattered villages are situated in a plain between two rivers that
have now formed a lake. Nobody knows when the waters will recede. Many
small farmers who had just gathered their produce have lost an entire
harvest. For at least six months, the victims will have to be provided
with relief foodstuffs. Probably, the worst time will come in March and
April 1999 before the next harvest is ready. The distribution of seeds
will therefore be part of the emergency aid.

According to the last unofficial count, Honduras has recorded 7,079 deaths
as a result of hurricane "Mitch". Another 12,303 people were injured and
9,014 were reported missing. In all, 1,393, 669 people were directly hit
by the disaster. In addition, 215 bridges have been destroyed.

These figures will probably rise once access is gained to places cut off
from the outside world. Industrial complexes, banana and cane plantations
have been destroyed, wheat fields have been rendered infertile either
because the topsoil was washed away or, as happened near the coast, been
spoilt by the influx of saltwater. Fishing too has become impossible in
the polluted rivers.

All these effects have created thousands of jobless people. Just restoring
this poor country to its previous level before "Mitch", will not only
require millions of US dollars but also calls for increased international
support.

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Lutheran World Information
Assistant Editor, English: Pauline Mumia
E-mail: pmu@lutheranworld.org
http://www.lutheranworld.org/