Damage caused by Felix increases
ViaNica.com | Sep 7, 2007
Three days after the devastating hurricane Felix in the Autonomous Northern Atlantic Region (RAAN), the reports of damages Felix caused are still growing. The amount of dead is increasing day by day, after finding nine drawn cadavers the official amount of dead persons crossed the centenarian level.The last official preliminary report, published by the government yesterday, Thursday (September 6), informed about 70,000 affected people, 18,477 evacuated, 90 persons were rescued alive, 105 people are missed, 39 dead 7,795 houses are destroyed and 8,848 houses are damaged. Nevertheless, authorities admitted that there are still many communities which could not be inspected yet, due to the destruction of the access roads, wherefore the numbers will surely increase.
Actually there is given the yellow alarm in RAAN due to possible epidemics which could emerge from the contamination of wells and the overflow of latrines, as well as possible avalanches.
Number of dead could get dramatically high
The Media announced today that the amount of dead persons could be over a hundred or even over a thousand. This information is based on statements of survivors and civil or military people working in national or international rescue teams.
The Honduran authorities reported yesterday the rescue of 25 Nicaraguans survivors and 52 dead at the Caribbean coast. With this, the official amount got to 91 dead (including the 39 dead reported by the government). Nevertheless, the rescue teams give a notional number of dead persons which could get of a hundred. The official last report is still not given and apparently the government has decided to wait for more concrete and verified numbers to publish actualized information.
Apparently, dozens of fisher families (they belong to the ethnic group of the indigenous Miskito who live in the area) living in the Cayos Miskitos, Cayos Mara and archipelagos of the region, could have tried to leave the area in rudimentary boats, during the hurricane. Others could have died in their houses. They think that the cadavers who start to be observed and rescued in the Caribbean waters could be the bodies of the people from the nearby islands. Other survivors assure that there were hundreds of people trying to escape and whose outcome is still unknown.
The dock of Bilwi (before Puerto Cabeza) is since last night a meeting point for fisher families who are searching for their dearest among the rescued people or the dead, rescued by the Nicaraguan Army.
The continual help is arriving
Food, water, cloth and other necessary things are sent to RAAN from numerous points in Nicaragua and the help centers are in permanent reception of any donation from population. Actually, organisms, institutions, Media and the population are organizing help or transmitting messages in a huge and spontaneous solidarity campaign for the victims of the hurricane Felix.
The international help, such as subsistence or rescue equipments and transportation means, is given by amicable governments such as Honduras, El Salvador, Panama, Guatemala, Venezuela and USA. The help of other nations is guaranteed and will come soon, according to information given constantly in the local Media.
There will be also help from the United Nations (US$43 million) and the European Community (€1million) thanks to different organizations and organisms; some European countries such as Spain, Germoney and Austria announced there will to help, which will be send independently.