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       March-April 1999		 Text Only version

The Health Challenges of Hurricane Mitch

Now that the storm winds have died down and the flooding caused by Hurricane Mitch has subsided, Central Americans are faced with the task of rebuilding their communities and lives. Paul Jeffrey, a United Methodist missionary in Honduras, looks at the health toll levied by the hurricane.

Jeffrey shows how the global economy, corrupt politicians, and the simple fact of poverty make recovery efforts in Central America much more difficult. Even without the hurricane, health risks in poverty-stricken rural areas were great. Now, with crops destroyed and infrastructure washed away, the need to address the reasons for such a poor quality of life become imperative.

 Joe Dorn, a United Methodist physician working with the Christian Commission of Development, treats a hurricane survivor in San Antonio de Chiquila, Santa Barbara, Honduras.
Joe Dorn, a United Methodist physician working with the Christian Commission of Development, treats a hurricane survivor in San Antonio de Chiquila, Santa Barbara, Honduras.
Standing in what is left of their home in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, this family lost everything but each other to Hurricane Mitch.
Standing in what is left of their home in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, this family lost everything but each other to Hurricane Mitch.


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The photos were taken by Paul Jeffrey. All photographs are copyright © The General Board of Global Ministries, The United Methodist Church and courtesy, New World Outlook magazine.