DEADLY WEATHER

November 2, 1998
		According to reports, Floods and mudslides from Hurricane Mitch killed over 7000 and caused widespread destruction in Latin America. After a background report, Phil Ponce discusses the situation with representatives from the Nicaraguan government and the American Red Cross.

Sept. 28, 1998: Hurricane Georges hits Texas. Sept. 25, 1998: Hurricane Georges travels the Southern U.S. Sept. 24, 1998: Hurricane Georges presses on towards Florida. May 22, 1998: Forest fires in Mexico cover the region in a haze. Oct. 22, 1996: Read about the Nicaraguan Presidential Elections Browse the NewsHour's coverage of weather and Latin America     FEMA National Hurricane Center Weather Underground tropical report	PHIL PONCE: The storm is being called the worst natural disaster to hit Nicaragua and Honduras in twenty-five years. No one really knows yet the scope of the tragedy, but according to wire reports, as many as seven thousand people may be dead and many more injured throughout Central America. Last week, Hurricane Mitch pounded the Central American coast with heavy rains. Out at sea, the wind speed reached 180-miles-per-hour, making it a category 5 storm--the most severe classification. Then the winds began to ebb, and the worst seemed to be over. But days of relentless rains triggered flooding and massive mudslides. In Honduras, officials say the death toll could top five thousand people. The mayor of the capital city was killed when his helicopter crashed while examining damage. As many as half a million people are homeless. Floodwaters have washed away roads, bridges, and destroyed crops. Damage estimates are in the millions of dollars. Army helicopters have been ferrying survivors out of remote areas for two days. In Nicaragua, civil defense officials reached the Casitas volcano yesterday about fifty miles northwest of Managua. There, they found a horrifying scene. Hundreds of bodies protruded from the mud. Entire villages were buried. Survivors said a crater at the summit overflowed, causing one side of the mountain to collapse. Officials say as many as 1500 may have lost their lives in the mudslide that followed. Some rivers in northern Nicaragua have swollen to ten times their normal size. Today, the International Red Cross tripled its appeal for aid, saying it needed more than $7 million to help flood victims. The United States has pledged $3 and a half million worth of food and other emergency relief supplies.
	Nicaragua: a scene of tragic devastation.
	PHIL PONCE: For more now on the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch, we're joined by Juan Marcos Garcia, the number two diplomat at the Nicaraguan embassy in Washington, and Gerald Jones, director for international relief and development at the American Red Cross. Gentlemen, welcome. Mr. Garcia, what is the latest from Nicaragua? JUAN MARCOS GARCIA: First, I want to thank you for this opportunity to be here and to let the American people to know what is going on in my country. As we could see in the pictures, there is -- there has been a devastation. It's a tragic state. The floods have been pretty bad. There are many people that have been dead. The official count is about 900 people at this time, but it's still many - been unaccounted for because they haven't been able to dig into the mud that has been slide by the volcano Casitas, as you said in here. So it's a pretty dramatic situation that is going on in the country at this time. PHIL PONCE: Mr. Garcia, in your country, are most of the deaths being caused by flooding or the mudslides? JUAN MARCOS GARCIA: At this time we think it's both. But most of it is from the mud - from the mudslide at the basin of the volcano at this time. PHIL PONCE: Mr. Garcia, the storm, Hurricane Mitch, had been sitting fairly stationary for several days. Was there any way to anticipate how much devastation it was going to cause? JUAN MARCOS GARCIA: Yes. The government took precautions when the hurricane was stationary in the Caribbean. And most of the northern part of the country was under alert for this kind of situation. And then when the hurricane twisted and came inland, there was - the Pacific probably was not that affected. Then it became a little bit of a problem at that time. PHIL PONCE: But had people been warned? JUAN MARCOS GARCIA: Yes. That's right. It was a warning on a national level, and everything. PHIL PONCE: Would you say that people might not have taken the warnings as seriously as the government might have wished? JUAN MARCOS GARCIA: No. I think people took the warning seriously. What happened maybe with the volcano is the - certain people didn't expect probably there would be just mudslide cause.
	Widespread lose of life and damage in Honduras.
	PHIL PONCE: Mr. Jones, what can you tell us about Honduras? GERALD JONES: Well, I think it's been one of the most devastating storms in the last 20 to 25 years. The scale of the destruction is vast. Up to 70 to 80 percent of the country is estimated to be underwater. Many of the same problems that have plagued Nicaragua are happening in Honduras. There's a growing loss of life, a growing death toll. We're not sure of exact numbers because many of the villages and communities in the country are isolated. Much of the infrastructure seems to have been destroyed. Bridges have collapsed. Roads have been washed away by water, by mudslides. So there are many isolated communities, and we don't have a clear picture of what is going on in there. Many of them can only be reached by helicopters. We're very worried about crop loss, what that means, immediately with food shortages, and also intermediate and long-term with potential food shortages down the road. We're also in all of these situations very worried about waterborne diseases because with the flooding and with the destruction of infrastructure, water supplies are often contaminated. So we have a whole series of problems. In Tegucigalpa, the capital, up to a third of the buildings are said to have been destroyed. So we're really facing a very serious and a very widespread problem in both countries. PHIL PONCE: Mr. Jones, today, Honduran officials were saying that it could take thirty to forty years for the infrastructure to be rebuilt and they're talking about 70 percent of the crops being destroyed. Does that sound about right to you? GERALD JONES: The crop failure does sound in the ball park of what you would expect in a situation like that. As I said, that causes both immediate problems with satisfying people's immediate needs for food, but yes, they have - they will miss crop cycles. There will be destruction to lands and irrigation systems. So it will be many years before we recover from something of this scale. As I said, it is probably the worst and most devastating storm in 20 to 25 years.
	Rebuilding after the storm.
	PHIL PONCE: Mr. Garcia, in your country, the prospects for rebuilding the country and how long it's going to take. JUAN MARCOS GARCIA: Well, we suffer a similar situation as Honduras, and especially the northern part of Nicaragua, which has very rich lands and very apt for cultivation. And much of the crops of our country are grown - have been devastated from this and have been flooded. So it's about - the same estimate - the percentage of destruction I would say and the destruction that would cause in the food supply and immediate demand. And also we - since we come from a situation of war and everything, maybe it's going to be a little worse than Honduras, and probably the same amount of time. PHIL PONCE: You're saying because your country was still feeling the effects of war, that the rebuilding of the economy, the infrastructure, could taken even longer? JUAN MARCOS GARCIA: Yes, it may be, since we were in a steep economic growth and beginning again to integrate into war that this is going to cause us much more problems. PHIL PONCE: Mr. Garcia, what is your government's priority now? What is the government doing? JUAN MARCOS GARCIA: First priority has been said by the president - has said that we have to secure lives. We have to try to save as many lives as possible. The flood is still in there, so mudslides there, there's people trapped that can be alive. So that has been the first priority of the government. Second, we have been devoted to the supply of food and clothing. Many people have been just left what they're wearing that day, and house has been taken by the water, and that kind of thing. Then we are on the preventive side of medicine. We expect that many diseases could arise from the flooding waters, and since we don't have also drinking water in so many areas, so those are the priorities at this time. And then the third one would be the infrastructure damage. We have 30 to 40 main bridges that have been destroyed and there has been about 2,000 kilometers of road has been affected, or are underwater at this time, so it's a daunting situation. PHIL PONCE: A daunting situation, enough resources, Mr. Jones? GERALD JONES: There never seem to be enough resources in a situation of this magnitude. The Red Cross societies in both Honduras and Nicaragua have mobilized their volunteers. And it's been very good to see that response. In the region there are probably 5,000 volunteers working with the Red Cross societies in those two countries trying to help the evacuation of people from isolated villages in the areas threatened by mudslides. We have established up to 250 to 300 shelters throughout the region to meet immediate needs of food and shelter and medications. One of the gratifying things that has happened in the region has been the cooperation with the different Red Cross societies. So the Mexican Red Cross Society and the Costa Rica Red Cross Society have been sending workers to Honduras and Nicaragua to assist in the outreach to victims there.
	The immediate need.
	PHIL PONCE: And, Mr. Garcia, what does your country need the most, this minute? JUAN MARCOS GARCIA: At this minute, as I said, we are pointing to medicine, food, and water. That's the immediate needs, I would say. Then we go for the people who are in the shelters, who - we need some building materials to start their houses again. And we also have a pledge to the international community for all kinds of resources because at this time, it is very hard hit by the hurricane and the floods. PHIL PONCE: Are the indications that the international community is going to be responding enough to satisfy the government's assessment of damage? JUAN MARCOS GARCIA: In fact, there has been some response at this time from European countries and also the United States has devoted some amount of contribution to help alleviate the situation. PHIL PONCE: Do you think it will be enough? JUAN MARCOS GARCIA: We hope we had enough. And, we know about the generosity of the American people and the American government has been a tradition of helping in this kind of situation in other parts of the world, because unfortunately, this situation, it's so huge for Nicaraguans, Nicaragua's resources to be above it. PHIL PONCE: Gentlemen, I thank you both very much. JUAN MARCOS GARCIA: Thank you. GERALD JONES: Thank you.