The Legacy of Hurricane Mitch: Lessons from Post‐disaster Reconstruction in Honduras

Citation

Esnor, M.O. (2010), "The Legacy of Hurricane Mitch: Lessons from Post‐disaster Reconstruction in Honduras", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 19 No. 3, pp. 404-404. https://doi.org/10.1108/dpm.2010.19.3.404.1

This is one of the few books that I have been waiting for as it tells the reader what actually goes on in the post‐disaster recovery phase. Although it deals primarily with the reconstruction of Honduras after hurricane Mitch I am pretty certain that the contents of the book are to be reproduced in the majority of post‐recovery phases in many other countries.

In places it is not a pretty read as it covers victim first‐hand accounts of the effects of corruption, political bias, and, gangland activities during the reconstruction phase. The effects of political bias against the poorer members of society while favouring those in wealthier areas is a harrowing tale to behold. The refusal of planners, responsible for the distribution of building materials, to even meet with the poorer denizens to hear their requests as to the materials they require does not sit easily with me in the UK knowing that our government (like many others world‐wide) has donated tens of millions of pounds of aid from the public purse, to the Hondurian government for reconstruction to find that the aid is being directed towards preferentially, helping the wealthier nationals.

Another disturbing feature was the government of Honduras failure to tackle the safety and security problems that arose from the activity of criminal gangs during the reconstruction phase.

Safety, security, shelter, food, water, health care, these are all basic needs within any society and must be provided on a need basis and not on a status basis.

With chapters that deal with what was wrong in that society pre‐disaster that heightened the vulnerability of the population. Inadequate building regulations, poor investment in the basic infrastructure of the country, the failure to address the inequalities within their society, all of these helped turn a disaster into a calamity.

There is an interesting chapter towards the end of the book that looks at the political effects and changes that have occurred, not just in Honduras, but in other countries affected by disastrous occurrences. This chapter gave me an insight of what could be the final outcome that can arise from the disastrous occurrence, but you will have to buy and read the book to find that out for yourself!