Hurricane FELIX

Heavy rains, lightning, thunder, and strong winds of up to 119 miles per hours hit Nicaragua in Central America last week on Tuesday Sept. 4.
Hurricane Felix, the category five hurricane, cut a wide path of destruction on the Northeast Atlantic coast between two areas – Puerto Cabezas (aka Bilwi) and Cabo Gracias a Dios, affecting over 150,000 inhabitants of the area. This is an area already characterized by extreme poverty and difficult access, which is now worsened by the aftermath of the hurricane.

The Impact as of September 11th, 2007
Photo: La Prensa
Navy boats searching for survivors

The devastation of the hurricane has been much greater than was initially thought. The hurricane has wiped out entire communities without a single home remaining in these communities. Many schools, churches and health clinics have also been destroyed throughout the area. Many of the more remote rural areas have been completely isolated by the rains with little access to food, water, shelter or medicines. There are cadavers floating in the water that continue to be picked up by the military helicopters helping in the search and rescue efforts. Many of those who died in the hurricane were women because they did not know how to swim. Most of the men swim because they are fishermen, and it is very heartbreaking to see all the devastation that has occurred with this Hurricane.
Photo: La Prensa

As of today, official government damage figures include:

* 115 deaths with the count rising daily because cadavers are being found every day
* More than 86 persons missing with little chance for rescue since it has already been one week
* Over 75,758 people have been affected by the hurricane losing their homes completely or partially. There are potentially over 150,000 affected with information still being collected in the more remote communities.
* 12,831 homes have been destroyed, and 4,980 homes are severely damaged
* Schools, clinics, churches, the Bilwi Hospital , the Bilwi airport, have been destroyed or damaged, along with water, roads and electrical systems.
* Livestock and crops have also been lost as well as millions of acres of tropical rainforest

Relief Efforts

Many government and private organizations are helping with the relief efforts. This includes collections of monies and supplies by many Nicaraguan churches, Nicaraguan non-profit organizations, communities and cities throughout Nicaragua, private businesses in Nicaragua, as well as an outpouring of help from the governments. Help has come from the United States, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Venezuela, Holland, Germany and Spain as well as the United Nations, UNICEF, the Pan American Health Organization, and many non-profit organizations.

Missionary Aviation Fellowship (MAF) has sent a CESSNA 206 and pilot Mike Ross to help with the initial disaster relief efforts. Daily flights are currently being made to the affected areas to deliver food and medications as well as help with pastoral care.

Despite the response from many organizations, the needs still are very great because of the massive destruction of crops and infrastructure.

Dr. David Parajon with Anita Taylor of CEPAD in the cargo section of a Nicaraguan airforce plane on Friday, Sept. 7, 2007

As medical missionaries with International Ministries, American Baptist Churches USA here in Nicaragua, we are currently doing everything we can to help with relief efforts. Dr. David has been in the disaster zone working together as a team with our Nicaraguan Partner, Council of Protestant Churches (CEPAD) to help with an evaluation of the current situation. The team is out in the communities today doing surveys and interviews so that together we can respond most effectively based on the true needs of the victims of the hurricane.

Dr. David has also been meeting with the directors of the hospitals and clinics in Puerto Cabezas to see how we can further help with the health needs in the area as well as accompany those suffering from the effects of the disaster.

In Managua, we continue to meet with CEPAD to develop a joint plan for immediate relief and also for long term reconstruction of several damaged communities. Jessica Chapman, our volunteer from First Baptist Church of Cleveland (Shaker Heights, Ohio) is also part of our disaster relief team. Our commitment is to work on the short AND long term with the affected communities with an emphasis on the people living in the areas that are most difficult to reach.

As medical missionaries, we will be working with CEPAD in several communities that have lost 95% of their homes, all their schools, and four of their churches. We will be working with CEPAD to do community health work as well as working with the Ministry of Health to help with other medical needs in the region such as helping with control of malaria, which often increases in epidemic proportions after a hurricane. The ministry of health has just asked us to help obtain 100,000 tablets of anti/malarial medications to help with this problem.

We ask your prayers for the people of the North Atlantic region of Nicaragua; for those who have lost loved ones and their homes and need all the support we can give to help them rebuild their lives out of the chaos.

Please also consider helping us with the health care needs of this region by sending a tax-deductible contribution to International Ministries, PO Box 851 Valley Forge, PA 19482 with the MEMO line: "AMOS Health and Hope—HURRICANE FELIX RELIEF"

Paz,

David and Laura