Hurricanes Eta and Iota: November 2020
Damage from two category 4 hurricanes destroyed 6 houses in the SVH villages, made some roads, mostly dirt, impassible. They also tore away the only bridge over the Ulua River on the main route from Trinidad, where Coordinator Roy Lara lives, up into the mountains to the eight SVH villages, all in the municipality of Chinda. The new route, through another municipality, Illama, takes 75 minutes rather than 45 minutes.
Don Nemecio shows the road blocked in La Majada
Repair of Water Systems
When the hurricanes hit and materials were urgently needed for repair, Roy had not yet received the new Vecinos Honduras truck (half paid for by SVH) to replace the old one that would no longer function. Roy consulted with the leaders of the village water boards by phone or by traveling in moto-taxis and estimated what materials would be needed to repair the water systems.
He quickly lined up new piping for village water systems to replace destroyed local piping. He took some of this piping across the Ulua River by boat before being met by a municipal truck on the other side.
Replacement Houses of Wood
Roy also got a local construction expert and a local engineer to prepare plans for wooden houses to replace the 6 that were destroyed. The house of Don Nemicio and his family in La Majada is now completed. Five of them will be rebuilt on more stable land in El Zapotal. A seventh damaged house in El Chol received zinc to repair the kitchen.
Replacing Lost Seeds for Sowing Crops
Roy also bought seeds for sowing from those farmers whose fields had not been destroyed and distributed them to 30 farmers in the 8 villages who had lost their seed crops. These farmers were able to use these seeds to start new basic crops of corn and beans in spring 2021.