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Hurricanes have proven to be a very calamitous and costly natural disaster for
The Caribbean and Central America. Unrelenting rains and savage winds, which
accompany hurricanes, produce devastating mudslides and sustained flooding. In
the wake of hurricanes, thousands of inhabitants face the plight of a greatly
diminished capacity to go about their daily lives as a result of destroyed or
severely-damaged homes, deteriorated living conditions, and increased health
risks. Hurricanes inevitably aggravate the frail health of an already vulnerable
segment of the population living both in and outside its destructive path. Its
most critical impact is evident in terms of seriously deteriorated environmental
health conditions, the limited availability of potable water and sanitation
facilities, and reduced local capability to provide basic health services. |
