|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
| ||||
|
One Year after Hurricane Mitch
For almost a year, 4X4 vehicles could cross the river at Las Mangas when the water level was low, however a basket set up to cross pedestrians is still used when the river increases its water level. However, thanks to the support being provided by the German Government, a bailey bridge is now being installed at las Mangas, and finally, local communities will have a round the clock communication with the city of La Ceiba, allowing them to travel there for supplies as well as to deliver their produce to the local markets. | ||||
| ||||
Almost
a year ago, on the 29st of October, rains spurred by deadly Hurricane
Mitch caused the already swollen Cangrejal River, on the North Coast
of Honduras to reach massive flash flood levels. The enormous quantity
of water swept trees, homes, and basically anything that lay in
its path. The concrete bridge at Rio Viejo, about 25 km upriver
from la Ceiba was swept away by debris, leaving the community of
Rio Viejo, as well as Yaruca and Toncontin with no road to communicate
them with La Ceiba. Further down river, the steel bridge at Las
Mangas, located almost 100 ft above the regular level of the river
was also swepped by the wall of water and debris, leaving the community
of El Pital isolated: Access to Las Mangas was no longer possible,
and access to Rio Viejo and Yaruca was not possible either. Below
Las Mangas, much of the road was also sweped away, leaving this
community isolated also. Within the city limits of La Ceiba, the
river showed no mercy either. Both bridges crossing the river were
damaged, one of them, actually destroyed. The old Cangrejal Bridge,
built during the first years of the century was already 90 years
old, and had never seen anything like this flood. It was totally
destroyed. The newer Saopin Bridge also suffered serious damage,
however it was swiftly put back into operation with a provisional
landfill to allow traffic over its structure. 
Where
the river exits its canyon to enter the delta on the eastern side
of La Ceiba, destruction was also massive. "The Bomberos"
neighborhood found itself totally surrounded by water. A large factory,
which offered employment to over 200 locals was completely swept
away, leaving absolutely no clue as to where it had been built.
The same can be said for many of the homes in the neighborhood.
CNN showed images of one of the homes on the riverbanks as it was
taken downriver by the roaring Cangrejal River.
After
the storm, members of the stranded communities joined forces to
make access possible once again. The first step was to repair the
road so that vehicles could make it up to Las Mangas, located about
13 km. Up river from the main La Ceiba - Trujillo highway. Much
was to be repaired, and locals had no access to food. One of the
programs that worked best was the food for work program. Under it,
locals would provide the workforce to do repairs and international
donors would provide them with food. With painstaking work, the
road was opened once again to vehicular traffic. Eventually communication
was back to normal as far as Las Mangas, however the bridge that
was lost during the storm.
Many
of the city's main streets and throughways have been closed
as a result of a major repavement effort being conducted by
the city hall. Without doubt, potholes have plagued many of
the San Pedro Sula streets, a situation that this city inherited
from its previous major, Luis Garcia Bustamante. Major Larios
has had trouble repairing all the potholes and ditches that
he inherited and that were accentuated during the heavy rains
that Hurricane Mitch dropped over the city. However, in a
massive effort to solve the problem once and for all, many
of the streets are now being totally repaved. San Pedro Sula's
drivers have been most tolerant to this situation, understanding
that it is in their best interest.
On
a brighter note, the banana crops, which were almost totally
wiped out last year due to the floods in the major producing
areas, are on a rebound. With a few exceptions in the lower
areas of the Sula Valley, specifically in the towns of Santiago
and Urraco pueblo, where the Ulua River has jumped its banks
and damaged this year's crop, the banana industry is on the
upswing and will become mayor player in the Honduran economy
once again. WE are confident that Honduras will quickly regain
its position as the number 4 banana producer in the world
by the end of next year.