November 25, 1998

Hurricane Mitch: Honduran Churches Assist Survivors

UMNS -- The Honduran government has turned to the churches for management of emergency aid to Hurricane Mitch survivors.

A Nov. 23 report from the Christian Commission for Development (CCD) in Honduras noted that church leaders and local municipal officials met the week of Nov. 16 to draw up agreements "defining exactly what the role of the church would be."

The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) and Church World Service, the relief agency of the U.S. National Council of Churches, are among those working with CCD to assist Hondurans devastated by the late October hurricane, which killed more than 11,000 in Central America.

Church leaders warned that they didn't have the resources to provide a long-term solution for those left homeless by Mitch. Noemi Espinoza, CCD's executive president, pointed out that only the government and municipalities can provide the land on which people can build houses.

Other concerns in Honduras include:

A deteriorating health situation. In both Honduras and Nicaragua, cases of leptospirosis, a disease caused by a bacteria transmitted by rats, bats and dogs' urine, have been reported. Stagnant, muddy remains a serious health hazard.
The unleashing of landmines, planted in the 1980s by the U.S.-backed Contras. The mines, along the border with Nicaragua, have been washed downstream into other areas.
A flood-provoked spill of dozens of barrels of pesticides, used for export crops. According to Doctors Without Borders, a medical brigade has treated 30 cases of poisoning so far.

According to the CCD, there are many fears about the long-term economic effect of Hurricane Mitch. On Nov. 20, Jose Fernandez, the director of the National Association of Small and Medium Industries of Honduras, warned that an estimated 10,000 small businesses will go bankrupt because of hurricane damage.

The Rev. Oscar Bolioli with President Carlos Flores

The Rev. Oscar Bolioli (left), director of the Latin America and Caribbean office of Church World Service, is interviewed by Honduran reporters after meeting with President Carlos Flores on November 20.
Photo courtesy of Christian Commission for Development

Oscar Bolioli, a Methodist and Church World Service executive, visited Honduras Nov. 17-22. During a meeting with Honduran President Carlos Flores, Bolioli said he learned "the major fear that the government has at this point…is the creation of a huge amount of unemployment."

The problem, he added, is not just with the poor, but also with the middle class. "Some of them lost the house, lost the car, lost the job," he explained.

Workers for the major economic players in Honduras -- Dole, Chiquita Brands and Del Monte -- are idle and the expectations are that it will be a year to a year and a half before those companies are fully productive again, according to Bolioli. Another fear is that the companies will make adjustments to their operations there that could be detrimental to the Honduran economy, he said.