But there remains a massive reconstruction job to do in this country, and we must stay focused on that. President Flores has detailed some of your reconstruction plans to me, which your government expects to submit the plan at a meeting of potential aid donors in Stockholm in May. I am further told that the government intends to address issues involving transparency and project management at the Stockholm meeting. It is a good sign that the government plans to hire both an accounting firm and a consulting firm to oversee project management and bids and evaluations. Both Mayor Larios of San Pedro Sula and President Flores have stressed the importance of transparency in the reconstruction effort, and the need to impose heavy sanctions against parties who violate rules and procedures.
Hurricane season starts again in two months, and with it the potential for another disaster.
Included on the assessment team that visited here in January were officials with the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He noted that the country has in place comprehensive emergency plans, and has practiced them frequently. In that regard, you are ahead of some other countries in the region. They came up with a number of recommendations. Managers should be better trained, for instance.