Several University of Southern Mississippi students from Honduras are collecting goods to send to their home country after the devastation caused by Hurricane Mitch. Hector Rodriguez Carcamo of San Pedro Sula, Honduras, organized the collection campaign. He along with other Honduran students and music students, including Guillermo Bonilla of San Pedro Sula and Pietry Cabrera of Tegucigalpa, are diligently working to help. Carcamo said the Honduran government reports more than 2.5 million people are living in shelters. More than 10,000 people are dead, and thousands more are still missing.
Medical supplies are critically low, disease is rampant and food and water are quickly running out.
According to statements released by Honduran President Carlos Roberto Flores, the damage from Hurricane Mitch has set Honduras back more than 50 years. Property damage is high, and the infrastructure is severely damaged. Many people lost everything they had. Carcamo added that banana crops, the major export of Honduras, sustained tremendous damage. The country's economic situation is in a crisis, said Carcamo.