The Head of the Spanish Army, Alfonso Pardo Santayana, is presently visiting Honduras to inspect reconstruction work being performed by the Spanish army. He has stated to the local press that he has never seen a disaster like Mitch before.
The Reconstruction Cabinet decided yesterday that the 9,000 new unoccupied houses built for government employees by INJUPEMP and INPREMA will be offered to the general public. These houses have become a white elephant since they were built prior to Mitch but have not been sold due to their high price. The government has decided to provide financing and low interest rates and market them to private individuals.
The Ambassador of Great Britain, David Osborne, has announced that his government will donate 14 small bridges to Honduras.
The super model Claudia Schiffer will finance the construction of 112 houses for the homeless in the San Pedro Sula area. These houses will be built by the cultural foundation "Peoples of the Land of Palm" located in Mallorca, Spain.
Presidential Aide Juan Bendeck revealed that a special fund has been set up by the government to pay for the transportation of aid containers that have been abandoned in customs. The reasons that the containers haven't been claimed are diverse, but now the government has taken rein of the situation and will transport the aid to the areas it considers need it the most and will be put to the best use possible.
Bendeck categorically stated that the transportation factor and the non availability of containers have been the worst enemies that the government has had to battle with regards to aid.
The press conference offered by Bendeck to discuss this new fund regarding aid transport also included Marco Antonio Hepburn, the manager of the Port Authority (ENP), Felipe Rodríguez Plata, Manager of Customs and Income, and others including representatives from the Comptroller's Office.
Bendeck also lamented the fact that misinformation has filtered internationally which has caused donors to send their aid elsewhere since they erroneously feel that aid is being wasted in Honduras.
He also added that most aid is channeled directly by various programs, including the the World Food Programme which has a work for food action plan through the year 2001, CARE, and Caritas.
Other institutions have also agreed to help the government pay for container transportation, including the two multinationals of Chiquita and Dole and the US Army.
Picking a conversation with Julia, the pretty lady from La Mosquitia who was next to me, she asked me what my favorite place in Honduras was. I answered saying that I have many favorites, my favorite city being La Ceiba, my favorite town being Gracias in Lempira, and then I caught myself… I said my favorite island was Guanaja. How could I say such a thing without having been there after Mitch? How unjust to erase Guanaja from my favorites list without giving it the benefit of the doubt! I resolved to go back to Guanaja with a fresh open mind, and I'm glad I did.
Although Guanaja did suffer the embattled winds of over 200 miles per hour for more than 40 hours, and the enraged surf beat upon its reefs and coastline for even longer, the truth of the fact is very clear, Guanaja is still a paradise. Nature has its way of cleaning up its mess a lot better than we do, and the barren brown landscape that the world saw just hours after the hurricane swept through the island has changed dramatically; today, the island looks green, plenty of rain has turned the grass back to its lush green, and the vast majority of the vegetation is back. Perhaps the exception is the older and larger pine trees, a species native to Guanaja, Roatan and the north coast of Honduras known as the Caribbean Pine, many of which have died and are either standing up as poles or lay fallen on the mountainsides. However, most of the young pine trees already have green needles, and it was very encouraging to see young pines sprouting from the rich Guanaja soil. The oaks have faired better, as well as the rest of the vegetation, and although it is not quite as lush as it was prior to the catastrophic event, it is coming back strong.
The reefs have faired extremely well. While coral bleaching was a problem throughout the Bay Islands due to high water temperature before Mitch, the vast amounts of cold deep water that where churned to the surface by the hurricane have actually done much benefit to the corals, with reports that many that were already suffering from bleaching have actually regained their health and are much better off today than they were before. A few sites were badly damaged, and irony has it that, for example, the dive site known Lady Di's Garden was totally obliterated, however this has been an exception, and most of the dive sites are even better than before, as much silt has been washed away.
The many small streams that flow from the mountains into the sea are once again filled with water, after having been dry for the first time in many, many years. Thus, the secluded waterfalls and the extraordinary fresh water of Guanaja are once again plentiful. I was sure that there were probably no animals left, however, the iguanas, the yellow nape parrots and the local eagles are all making a comeback. Fishing, the locals assure, is better than it had been in years. And so, even though for many Mitch was a curse to the Island, it seems as though in some ways it helped.
I have many friends in Guanaja, and I was not only happy to see them all, I was also impressed on the attitude that most have taken. They have taken to the task of cleaning and rebuilding with a spirit that would be difficult to find elsewhere. Captain Al was out working the barge to rebuild docks and his hotel, the Hilton, Don and Eli where putting the Bayman Bay Club back together (Bayman Bay Club has been open for several weeks, by the way), Bo from Island House loaned me his boat to get around the island and check it out for myself, Brian, from the End of The World Resort, put me to work with him sinking poles in the sand to rebuild his dock, the Posada del Sol is back up and running, and the Bonacca, the large community on the Cay is clean, almost back to normal, and most of the reconstruction is well under way. Darrel of Nautilus and Dumbar Rock Resort is getting ready to open Dumbar Rock within the next few weeks. The Manatee resort is being repaired…
So after two days in Guanaja, I had no choice but to admit that it is still my favorite island in Honduras. I am also convinced that people who have not had the experience of travel to Guanaja before, and do so now will still find it to be one of the hidden paradise havens on earth, and although this is an island blessed by our Lord in many ways, I pray that it keeps that "off the beaten path" allure for many years to come, as this is without doubt, one of its blessings.
Discover Guanaja! Its resorts, people and nature are ready for you. You will surely enjoy this paradise on earth. Don't let the many misconceptions that have been promoted by the press keep you away from Guanaja, and for that matter from Honduras. The truth is that there is still more to Honduras than you ever imagined!
According to the Foreign Ministry, Sweden has promised $180 million over three-years to help rebuild parts of Central America devastated by Hurricane Mitch, with the bulk of the amount going to Honduras.
A motion is being tabled in Honduras parliament to permit Hurricane Mitch missing persons to be officially declared dead, so relatives can claim inheritance or life insurance from the victims. Currently, relatives must wait four years for a person to be declared dead without a death certificate.
