The storm turned creek beds into highways of water, mountainsides into avalanches of mud. Nearly 5,700 were killed. More than 100 bridges were destroyed. Rivers rose above telephone poles, tearing office buildings from their foundations. Thousands of peasants who fled the water returned to shacks gone or buried.
Destruction remains uncounted to thousands of farms.
Honduras fails on each measure. With the future of their nation at stake, the architects of Honduras' recovery are moving from emergency measures to long-term initiatives. A Honduran commission and U.S officials are pursuing steps to prevent hunger and control sickness, replace broken roads and bridges, delay payments on international loans, boost damaged businesses and monitor reconstruction contracts. But even optimists concede these measures are likely to fall short of a rescue. But I would hope we could have a better situation than before Mitch.