Fas Helps After Hurricane - Statistical Data Included

AgExporter, July, 2000 by Jill Lee

In Honduras, more than 92 bridges were destroyed, and the banana industry, an important cash crop, lost an estimated 90 percent of its plants. In Nicaragua, $170 million in agriculture was gone, according to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Hurricane Mitch struck in 1998, yet its painful effects linger to this day. FAS and other USDA agencies are still helping in recovery efforts. It was the worst natural disaster in memory to strike the Western Hemisphere, according to the State Department.

The U.S. relief response amounted to $980 million for affected areas in Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is the lead agency for the continuing relief efforts. But because the disaster also disrupted agriculture and basic food security, not to mention trade, USDA is involved as well--thanks in part to USAID funding.

USAID funding to USDA from the supplemental appropriation for Hurricanes Mitch and Georges is $13 million, including $6 million for watershed rehabilitation.

To help with Hurricane Mitch recovery, FAS created a team of experts including USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Together with FAS, they helped the struggling survivors with technical advice and financial assistance as well as that most precious of commodities during disasters--hope.

Finding, Fixing and Preventing Damage

Otto Gonzalez and Scott Lewis, development specialists with FAS, have a handwritten poster in blue, red and green felt--tip marker in their office: "Find the damage, fix the damage, prevent further damage." That pretty much encapsulates their mission.

For over two years now, they have been part of a team put together by FAS' International Cooperation and Development program area to help in recovery efforts.

An important partner is Manuel Ayala, who is on detail from the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Responding to Communities' Needs

In January 1999, three months after the disaster, Gonzalez traveled to Central America with FAS development specialists Scott Lewis and Sandra Fajemisin to do an initial needs assessment. The team also included Manuel Rosales, from NRCS, and Scott Lampman from the Forest Service. Their findings were used to develop a recovery plan.

Through ICD, Ayala, a soil conservationist, traveled to the region next to identify immediate threats to public safety. Rafael Salazar and Tom Reinsch, also with NRCS, were also on this team.

They spent time in Posoltega, a once-beautiful region in northwest Nicaragua that's now scarred by some of the country's most serious hurricane damage. The region also saw terrible mud flows.

When they first arrived, Ayala discovered that the river channel was completely filled with sediment, putting the town at risk for further floods. They made some technical recommendations for the town's safety.

Later, an NRCS team consisting of conservationists Carlos Suarez and Al Cerna returned for a followup visit and found the town was building a dike as a preventive and work to prevent further damage."

This changed watershed has a big impact on agriculture as well.

"It's sad. Some folks are going to have to find a different way to make a living. Their land just isn't restorable," said Ayala. "Others will have to adapt to changes in the watershed, We advise some farmers to consider putting flood-prone land in permanent pasture."

In other cases, the farmers are being encouraged to plant trees so that there is a forest buffer between their land and the river. This reduces chemical run-off and protects the soil.

Gonzalez said there are many other ways farmers can protect the environment and help themselves. One project, a cooperative effort with NGOs such as Fundacion Banhcafe, which supports small-scale coffee growers, and Proyecto Aldea Global, involves planting shade coffee trees.

"Not only does shade-grown coffee cause less pollution, it also shields the soil from pelting rain, and its roots hold the earth fast against erosion," said Gonzalez. "We are also helping them find ways of processing the coffee so that it has less impact on water quality."

Gonzalez added that there will even be money to install stoves that use less wood.

"We'd like to encourage people to cut down fewer trees, reduce deforestation and protect their soil," he said.

FAS Nicaragua Does Its Part

Gonzalez was grateful for the work done by Chuck Bertsch, FAS' agricultural attache in Costa Rica. Bertsch, who also covers Nicaragua and Panama, came forward with interim funding right after the hurricane, so work could begin quickly.

"As an emergency appropriation request was still moving through Congress, Chuck found some money in the Section 416 (b) food aid program for on-the-spot help."

Satellite Technology Helps

In addition to food and funding, technology was a big part of the relief effort. One example is LANDSAT, which uses satellite imagery and computers to assess agricultural damage after a natural disaster.