Hurricanes and the pandemic have a disproportionate impact on rural, working class, and poorer Hondurans

📌Deadly landslide in Nicaragua demonstrates government neglect

One example of how climate emergencies can impact poorer countries in unequal ways was a landslide in Nicaragua after Hurricane Iota.

Survivors tell of the horror that befell Macizo de Peñas Blancas, an area in northern Nicaragua where at least 11 people died. After the mudslide, the community struggled to search for their dead. Before the earth gave way, residents of San Martín said they could smell a strong odor of mud. The massive landslide swept away, shattered, crushed, and unmade everything in its path.

The government’s response raised questions of secrecy and misconduct. The government of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo claims to have warned people to evacuate as the risk posed by Iota became clear, but some community members say they did not receive any word or visit from public officials before the tragedy.

 🙋‍♀️👩‍🏭 Coping with hardship

Meanwhile, this week, we provided in-depth coverage (in Spanish) of the conditions nurses face as they battle not just the pandemic, but the results of two hurricanes, as well as racial, class, and gender inequality.

The school year will extend to February in Honduras, due to COVID-19. Almost 400,000 students haven’t been able to go to school, due to lack of access to technology and to the serious economic impact of the pandemic measures, which have forced many children to work.

And in el Valle de Sula, people are cleaning up after the hurricanes. This video footage that we produced shows what it is like to clean up after a flood. Everything, from the streets, to the walls and ceilings of houses and shops, is drenched in mud. Locals say they still haven’t received any help.

To top all this off, Honduras will end this year as the most violent country in Central America.

While the two hurricanes killed 92 people and affected 3 million people’s homes, homicides in flooded areas continued. People tried calling emergency services for help with the flooding and the violence, but in both cases, no help arrived.

In the midst of all this, Honduras is gearing up for an election year. On December 3, all the internal factions of each political party registered with the National Electoral Council. The primaries will be held in March.

Central American news this week 👀

The Honduran president has requested more financial assistance, after warning that there could be more migrants fleeing the country following the hurricanes. However, our investigations have shown that most aid is siphoned off through corruption, or goes to big businesses, rather than to the people who need it.

Following protests in Guatemala, the country’s congress has halted the ratification of its controversial budget, which was only going to defund services like health and education even further. The protests, however, have continued.

Then, on Friday, President Giammattei requested his cabinet resign. The move is typical for this time of year, and new ministers will be announced in January. However, it comes among the protests and the devastation wrought by the hurricanes. The Presidential Commission of the Center of Government was also shut down, and will stop operating as of 31 December. In this case, the move is likely a result of pressure from social movements, which have questioned many of the decisions the commission has made.

In Nicaragua, 16 people were trapped in a mine on Friday after a landslide. The mine is an informal one, built by locals. This is a common practice in Nicaragua, as people try to extract and earn a living from minerals in their region.

Stay connected!

As the year starts to wrap up, we continue our investigations into governmental corruption, hardships and discrimination faced by everyday people, and more. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and let us know your questions and views.