Hurricane Mitch
| Category 5 hurricane ( SSHWS ) | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| Emergence | October 22, 1998 | |
| resolution | November 5, 1998 | |
|
Peak wind speed |
|
|
| Lowest air pressure | 905 mbar ( hPa ; 26.7 inHg ) | |
| dead | At least 19,000 direct | |
| Property damage | $ 6.2 billion (1998) | |
|
Affected areas |
Central America , especially Honduras and Nicaragua , Yucatán , South Florida | |
| Season overview: 1998 Atlantic hurricane season |
||
The Hurricane Mitch was an Atlantic hurricane in 1998th
From October 22nd to November 8th it raged in Central America , killing around 19,000 people. Honduras and Nicaragua were the hardest hit countries by the hurricane. Also, El Salvador and Guatemala suffered the consequences. The economic damage is estimated at 7 billion US dollars . Mitch is the deadliest hurricane since the Great Hurricane of 1780.
Impact in Nicaragua
In November, the volcanic crater Casitas broke apart after 10 days of continuous rain . At least 1,500 people were buried under a huge mudslide. Other regions in Nicaragua were also affected by the continuous rain caused by Mitch. A total of around 20 square kilometers were flooded, at least 4,000 people died and 7,000 are still missing today.
The victims were almost always the poorest, as they live on river banks and steep slopes in so-called high-risk areas, which are so economically worthless that no one drives the illegal settlers away. They lost their homes, animals, and crops, and the government failed to get them an adequate replacement. Since many had lost all of their property, a great exodus from the countryside began.
But the disaster did not come as a surprise. In the rainy season there are always floods. In retrospect, it turned out that the responsible authorities had been informed of the impending continuous rain, but did not take any action to warn people in the affected regions.
In comparison, only one person died in 1988 when Storm Joan razed the city of Bluefields to 99% because the FSLN had evacuated in time.
A precise indication of the victims of the disaster is not possible and never will be, as there are no reliable data on the number of people living in the affected regions.
Nicaragua's infrastructure was massively destroyed. After the floods, there was looting in the evacuated areas. Epidemics (e.g. cholera , malaria , dengue fever , conjunctivitis and diarrhea ) broke out and the prices of staple foods tripled. A huge wave of help rolled in worldwide. "Political tourists" like Hillary Clinton traveled to Nicaragua to see the damage on site. The solidarity movement in Germany received some upswing after many years. But the financial aid drained away almost without a trace.
- Disaster Relief and Economic Consequences
The extent of the disaster could have been curbed somewhat if aid had reached those in need. In Nicaragua, after Hurricane Mitch , President Alemán first served those communities that are governed by his "Liberal Constitutionalist Party". The aid trucks made a wide detour around traditional Sandinista strongholds . The years of savings in the military were now particularly noticeable as there were not enough helicopters to bring aid supplies to the affected areas. Even in the days of the Sandinista during the civil war , the military in Nicaragua only had 8 helicopters. The disaster, or rather the lack of disaster relief, made Nicaragua's structural problems clearly visible.
| rank | hurricane | season | Min. Air pressure hPa ( mbar ) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wilma | 2005 | 882 |
| 2 | Gilbert | 1988 | 888 |
| 3 | " Labor Day " | 1935 | 892 |
| 4th | Rita | 2005 | 895 |
| 5 | Everyone | 1980 | 899 |
| 6th | Camille | 1969 | 900 |
| 7th | Katrina | 2005 | 902 |
| 8th | Mitch | 1998 | 905 |
| dean | 2007 | 905 | |
| 10 | Maria | 2017 | 908 |
| Source: HURDAT | |||
The land question came to a head again, because the homeless population lived on the national territory assigned to them. Alemán did not want to transfer the land to the new residents simply because he was speculating on being able to sell it somehow for a profit. Due to the unresolved situation, reconstruction was blocked for months and people were forced to wait in their makeshift accommodation while the building materials piled up next to them.
In building up the infrastructure, the roads that led to Alemán's property were also favored. After an inspection of the situation in Nicaragua, German ministers demanded the immediate suspension of any aid to the country, as it was impossible to understand where the money was going.
Since harvests had failed and tourism had declined, attempts were made to get money into the state coffers through further neoliberal economic measures. Internationally, some countries tried to help Nicaragua through debt relief, but the real help for the population ultimately came from the non-governmental organizations . Although they were unable to cope with such a disaster, they managed to organize and settle their arguments about the "right" support for some time.
Hurricane Mitch has often been compared to the devastating 1972 earthquake , and Alemán to Somoza . Like him, Alemán used the situation for personal enrichment. In the course of the anti-corruption campaign, some enrichments on the part of the government were uncovered, but a lot of money has disappeared without a trace to this day.
Donation aid
At the end of 1998, various internationally known DJs founded the United Deejays For Central America benefit project to collect donations for the victims. Her song Too Much Rain stayed in Germany for 13 weeks and made it to number 13.
Web links
- "The Lessons of Hurricane Mitch - Missed Chance After the Storm" by Angel Saldomando in Monde Diplomatique (February 11, 2005)
Individual evidence
- ^ National Hurricane Center: Atlantic hurricane best track (Hurdat) ( English ) Hurricane Research Division. Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations Office of Oceanic & Atmospheric Research. April 2018. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ↑ United Dee Jays in the single charts