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The human and economic toll exacted by Mitch was staggering. More than 9,000
people were killed, 13,000 injured, and 3 million displaced. In one single,
tragic mudslide in Posoltega, Nicaragua, 2,000 people perished. Hundreds of
bridges, thousands of schools, clinics and kilometers of roadway were destroyed
or damaged. There were also severe losses to rice, corn, beans, coffee and
banana crops, the basic economic mainstay of thousands of poor farmers and
consumers. Direct and indirect damages from the storm were estimated at more
than $8.5 billion in Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador, with $3.4
billion in Honduras alone.
A region-wide support, for risk management planning, public awareness
campaigns, and capacity building of regional, national and community disaster
management organizations for mitigation and preparedness, can help to strengthen
transnational linkages.
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