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Background on Hurricane Mitch
On October 29, 1998, Hurricane Mitch tore into Central America, leaving behind a trail of death and destruction. It began as a tropical storm 360 miles to the south of Jamaica. On October 27, it began to move west. For two days, it lingered off the north coast of Honduras.
Instead of moving west, as expected, Mitch then dipped to the south. Over the next week, it hovered over Honduras while at the same time, a current of hot air came up from the south and invaded the pacific side of the country. The amount of water that fell defied all predictions: Choluteca, in south Honduras, received 900 millimeters in a day. La Ceiba, on the north coast, got more rain in one day than London in an entire year.
By conservative estimates, over 7,000 people died, and another 10,000 disappeared in Honduras alone – a country of 5.5 million. As many as 2,000 Nicaraguans died in a massive mudslide in Nicaragua. Guatemala and El Salvador were also hit, albeit to a lesser extent. It was a deadly blow, the more so because the region was recovering from decades of repression and war.
At the same time, Mitch also presented an opportunity. In the first place, it put Central America back on the international agenda. With the end of the Cold War the region had lost its strategic interest, and settled into something of a political backwater. This changed dramatically with Mitch. After a belated response, the United States promised a package of aid that was both large ($956 million) and thoughtful. President Clinton visited the region in mid-March – only the third American president to make the trip.
Second, Mitch has revived interest in aiding the region, after a period in which aid flows have declined dramatically. Bilateral donors began to pool their efforts in the aftermath of Mitch. They formed a consultative group, and met in Washington and Geneva. The third meeting of the group will take place in Stockholm, Sweden between May 25 and 27, to review a package of measures aimed at the long-term reconstruction of the region.
However, the sense of urgency that followed Mitch quickly evaporated. The effects of this storm and the need to keep Central America in the spotlight to prevent future disaster is the topic of On the Record - Central America After Mitch, archived on AP's website.
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