Since I have returned to Honduras on Monday, we have had rain daily. That's good and bad news. Good for ending the drought, considered the worst in 25 years. Bad because many people live in substandard housing in a country that is more than 90% mountainous terrain.
Guatemala is bearng the brunt, as Tropical Storm Agatha is now overland in Guatemala. Combined with the effects of the volanic eruption in Guatemala on Thursday, the people there are suffering. The volcano caused hundreds to evacuate, leaving one person dead and several children missing. On top of that, flash floods and mudslides are expected as Agatha bears down on our neighbor to the north. Also aid will be difficult and slow to arrive as airspace in Guatemala is closed in some parts of the country due to the ash plume.
As noted by Trish in Sowers4Pastors, the poor always suffer the most. In Central America, the poorest build their homes on ledges and steep slopes, where land is cheap or free, and very suspectible to mudslides. Even in the areas near Tegucigalpa, where the rains are not as intense, 6 days of rain is dangerous, because the poor also tend to live on mountain slopes almost devoid of vegetation as a result of overcrowding. I have already seen minor rock and mud slides near the capital.
I have had to back down steep slopes on more than one occasion this week, due to the rain's havoc on the roads. I am not in any danger, because I have the means to live in a well-constructed home in a fairly flat location, where flooding is minimal.
With all of the environmental catastrophes occurring around the world, compassion fatigue can set in easily. However, most of my readers have a deep concern for the Central American region. Pray for the people of Guatemala and Honduras.
For more information on Tropical Storm Agatha, click on the link to the BBC article.
4 comments:
I am looking for information about the city/town of El Progresso - do you know what the conditions are there at the moment given the rain/etc. A concerned Mom in Texas...
Local news is mainly focusing on the big cities, such as Tegucigalpa and San Pedro. Try searching newspapers online. My internet is spotty most of the day.
I'll be praying. I have so many friends that are like family in Central America.
Anon mom, I received this information from El Progresso: I'm in Progreso, living about a 20 minute walk from the main boulevard in the city. I haven't seen or heard about any mud or rock slides here in the city. It's just that the roads are muddy and sloppy. Previously in this thread I mentioned that the tap water has more sediment than usual and there's much less water pressure.
Blue, Keep praying for those you love. Thanks.
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