Recipe for disaster

1999/01/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Ingurumena

Hurricane Mitch we met last fall caused a major disaster throughout Central America. But despite being the most destructive storm in the Atlantic over the last few decades, it has not been the most violent weather and its tragic influence is due to local geography and poverty of peoples.

Hurricane Mitch was born in the Caribbean Sea and at first got very low pressure, becoming one of the most violent sea storms ever known. The maximum wind was 97 km/h. The problems arose in the mountainous areas of Central America, where the storm pushed the humid air up and when it cooled, heavy rains caused heavy flooding. In addition, the rain dragged open land into the jungle and buried the entire village in mud.

Land obtained from deforestation is not useful for construction, as it weakens by eliminating plants. In Central America, however, there is no legislation on these lands and the poorest people build their residence the way they can. In November these two factors create a deadly combination in the poorest areas of Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico and Nicaragua.