Nicaragua rises above floodwaters of Mitch

NOTE: Second of two parts.

When Hurricane Mitch roared across Nicaragua a year ago, Lake Xolotlan rose and consumed hundreds of homes in San Francisco Libre, a municipality of about 11,000 people north of Managua.

Hundreds more homes literally were swept away as three large rivers raged over their banks. But thanks to a team of women from the Women and Community Association, no one from the area died in the floodwaters, according to Nan McCurdy, a United Methodist missionary based in Managua.

By buying a boat and supplying gasoline and oil to fishing boats, "they were able to rescue hundreds during six days, then go on to rescue people up in trees and on roofs in the neighboring county, where there were a number of deaths," she recalled.

Since the hurricane struck, McCurdy and her husband Miguel Mairena -- both assigned to Nicaragua as missionaries by the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries -- have spent at least two days a week in what is normally a desert-like countryside, helping the residents of San Francisco Libre reclaim their lives. They also have helped coordinate assistance from the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR).

With an additional $700,000 approved this fall by UMCOR's board of directors, the missionaries have $900,000 to build 350 large house structures with roofs and floors in two new communities. Three hundred of the houses will be completed, McCurdy said, noting that the other 50 families will finish their homes over time.

"We also have money for 70 latrines and for a potable water project with artesian wells that will benefit about 160 families," she added. "These families currently are drinking chlorinated river water."

About 280 of the homes will be built in the town of San Francisco Libre. The remainder will be built in a new town incorporating residents from six rural villages that were demolished by an overflowing river.

However, more families are feeling the effects of flooding this year. "With the rains of September and October, the lake has risen half a meter above its highest point after Mitch, flooding 101 families who were not flooded last year," McCurdy reported. "It's rough for people to be in tents or cardboard huts, but they know that within a matter of months, they'll have a home."

Construction began in May. Since then, 60 houses have been built, with 40 more in process, but the fall rains significantly slowed progress. "People from San Francisco Libre are hired to do the more technical work on the houses," McCurdy said. "But all the leveling, clearing, digging, cement mixing and hauling is done by the families who receive homes."

A high-compression block-making machine (see photo), which uses very little cement, has been donated by UMCOR to help build walls at a low price. The agency also sent a technician from South Africa, where the machine originates, to help train local people to use it.

Food remains a problem. "We were hoping that folks would get a harvest, but with the rains we're looking at another year without food for many," McCurdy explained.

The missionaries have been working with the Women and Community Association and the Antonio Valdivieso Ecumenical Center to distribute food to about 10,000 people. The United Nations World Food Programme and UMCOR are the donors. Because enough food was sent in September, she said, residents in San Francisco Libre were able to survive the 32 days that they were cut off from land transportation this fall because of the rains.

"People in San Francisco Libre are extremely grateful for the help that UMCOR has provided," McCurdy said. "We have felt truly blessed to be part of this emergency response effort and have great admiration for the aid that UMCOR provides around the world."

Ecumenically, UMCOR has worked on Hurricane Mitch assistance in Nicaragua with three groups: CEPAD, a church-based community development organization; CIEETS, the Ecumenical Center for Theological and Social Studies; and Christian Medical Action, which reaches the more remote regions of the country.