Mitch + Five

In 1998, Hurricane Mitch leveled Central America, caught thousands unaware, and changed the way Oxfam does business.

In 1998, Category Five Hurricane Mitch unleashed 180 MPH winds and deposited more than six feet of rain on Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and El Salvador, killing almost 9,000 people and leaving more than 700,000 homeless. Schools, bridges, water systems, and roads were destroyed in one of the most destructive hurricanes in history.

Maria Felipe Pérez (center) and her four children in Santa Inés, Guatemala. After Hurricane Mitch, Oxfam supported the members of her community by providing land, seeds, and tools to grow crops.

By: Sean Sprague/Oxfam

Throughout Central America, people were living in conditions that made them especially vulnerable to the storm—in houses made of sticks, mud, and grass and on eroded land stripped of trees and topsoil. Those in remote regions, without access to televisions, newspapers, and radios, were the last to receive warnings.

Oxfam provided emergency supplies, repaired water and sanitation systems, and reconstructed housing, saving countless lives. But the damage was extensive. Oxfam partners saw thousands of lives and years of development work swept away.

A Model For Survival

Amidst Mitch's vast destruction, Oxfam learned critical lessons from one community's remarkable survival. The first night of the storm, while rapid flood waters climbed to over 10 feet, Oxfam partner, the Foundation for Cooperation and Rural Development (CORDES), evacuated villagers in the lower Lempa region of El Salvador. CORDES selected high altitude evacuation routes and divided villagers into groups to manage medical attention, food, water, and shelter. Out of harm's way, community members met every day to evaluate work and plan ahead.

Thanks to CORDES, not one person from the region died in the hurricane.

This Salvadoran community's ability to organize quickly and escape danger stimulated Oxfam to rethink our strategy in the face of natural disasters—ultimately shifting our focus from disaster response to disaster preparedness and prevention.

The Power of Preparedness and Prevention

During a disaster, people shouldn't be deciding what to do. Lower Lempa demonstrated that communities have a chance of survival when people are well-organized and imbued with a sense of responsibility. Oxfam prioritizes the need for communities to organize, train, and prepare before disasters occur.

Over the last five years, Oxfam has helped hundreds of Central American communities develop early alert and risk management systems. Today, villages know how to gauge rainfall levels to determine when to flee to higher ground, and have marked evacuation routes. Designated community members are trained to lead in emergencies.

With Oxfam support, the Salvadoran Foundation for Reconstruction and Development (REDES) purchased Global Positioning System (GPS) equipment and radios that can detect dangerous weather systems up to two weeks before they strike. Villages have radio towers that can reach even the most isolated communities.

The Ingredients of Rapid Response

Though communities may be prepared, disasters will occur. At these times, Oxfam's partner network is extremely valuable.

Most lives are lost within 15 days following a disaster. To move effectively during this period demands a dependable and flexible network of allies. On familiar ground, Oxfam partners work in ways outside agencies cannot. Respecting local cultures, partner organizations recognize communities are best prepared when they can develop and implement solutions themselves, rather than waiting for outside aid.

"When people have an active role in responding to their situation, it builds their self-confidence," explains Oscar Andrade, Oxfam America's Program Officer for Humanitarian Assistance for Central America. "We'll help, but we won't do everything for them. They need to be an integral part of the solution."

Bridging the Gap Between Disaster and Development

Planning, technology, and rapid response can go a long way toward helping communities survive disaster. But Oxfam recognizes greater opportunity for preparedness: namely, the opportunity to integrate disaster relief and development.

"We have the technology to prevent much of the destruction that now follows most natural hazards," humanitarian response thought leader Frederick Cuny asserts in his seminal book, Disasters and Development. "But to do this requires development: stronger housing, better agriculture, a more diversified economy, and more responsive governments."

Because Oxfam partners work on both disaster relief and development, they are able to pursue developmental solutions that are mindful of potential natural hazards. By the same token, as they help communities rebuild after a disaster, they can seek solutions that will meet long-term developmental needs. For example:

In Nicaragua and Honduras, people are adjusting their crop cycles and planting crop variations that can better withstand hurricane weather.
In El Salvador, communities are clearing rivers of debris—a practice that prevents flood damage and allows an extra cycle of planting for extra income.
Also in El Salvador, people are building grain silos on raised ground. If the stored grain isn't needed for emergencies, it can be sold in the off-season for higher prices.

Such combinations of disaster preparedness and prevention and long-term development strategies are strengthening communities throughout Central America.

As the rainy season approaches, meteorologists have predicted at least two hurricane systems will develop in Central America this year. No doubt, they will come with the same might they have wielded for generations.

Except this time around, people will be prepared.