In northwestern Nicaragua, tents of plastic sheeting dot the countryside where victims left without work cannot replace damaged houses. Gregorio Sanchez, who managed to save himself and his three children but lost his home, cornfields, chickens and pigs, still lives in a shelter near Posoltega. It was a reminder how Mitch sent floods coursing through city boulevards, even pouring into the second floor of a hospital. On Wednesday, a temporary bridge across the Honduran-Salvadoran border was swept away by flooding. Hundreds of trucks line up with goods, but workers have suspended their rebuilding because heavy rainfall continues.
People now cross the river on motorboats.
But amid the region's entrenched poverty, even those who want to prepare for adversity often can't afford to. The president of Honduras' reconstruction committee, Tomas Lozano, has declared a state of red alert, which means no leave or vacation for rescue workers, the calling up of all military and civilian reserves and the formation of special disaster brigades. We don't have the necessary personnel to evacuate people living in high-risk areas,'' he said. Even as crews gear up for this year's hurricane season, others must still cope with the effects of last year's. In Posoltega, a brigade of 20 men heads out every day at dawn with shovels and black plastic garbage bags.