Hurricane Mitch Rescuer Reflects on Successes

Santos Palma wasn't working with Catholic Relief Services when Hurricane Mitch hit in October 1998. But he jumped right in and started helping people in the midst of flooding and devastation.

He joined CRS Nicaragua soon thereafter—in January 1999—to manage our emergency program. In that role, he worked in partnership with Caritas staff in Matagalpa and Jinotega as well as with local governments and organizations. Together, they assisted 17,000 families and aided in the distribution of 8,500 tons of food, among other rescue efforts.

Today, Palma manages agro-enterprise development programs with CRS Nicaragua.

Catholic Relief Services:

Where were you when Hurricane Mitch struck? Are there any sights, sounds, feelings you remember from that day?

Santos Palma:

I was in Chinandega [department of western Nicaragua] when the hurricane struck. I'd worked for 16 years with various nongovernmental agencies in northern Chinandega, and participated in numerous rescue operations during that time, almost always overseeing these rescues in the over 370,000 acres of Chinandegan lowlands.

There are three rivers that cause frequent flooding in the area: the Guasaule, the Gallo, and the Hato Grande. They all converge and empty into the Estero Real River, which in turn empties into the Gulf of Fonseca. When the sea rises and clashes with the water flowing in from these three rivers, it forms a type of dam that causes water depths to swell to unimaginable levels. In some cases, the rising water completely covered the rooftops of the area's small homes.

CRS:

What was your initial reaction to all of the devastation? Did anything you saw stick out in your mind?

Palma:

Knowing the risk faced by the people living in the low-lying areas near the Estero Real, I joined the rescue teams in their efforts. I worked with the Red Cross and the military for four days. Fortunately, my brother had access to a fiberglass boat that fit up to 100 people, wedged in tightly. With it we could brave the currents without too much risk. We'd leave from a place called 15 de Julio and travel with a Red Cross worker and someone from the military. Each day we traveled over flooded roads or over the fences that divided property lines, navigating carefully so as to not hit drowned animals: livestock, pigs, dogs, birds, pets…. The smell was unbearable.

When we arrived at the first house during the initial rescue operation, there were a lot of people on rooftops. Because we wanted to get to the areas were we felt people were most at risk, we didn't stop. Instead we told them we would return for them later. They were at risk, but there were others at greater risk.

What I'll never forget is when we came across a man in his 70s. He was in the tallest branches of a tree without any clothes on. His ant-covered body was shivering from the cold. He had very little energy left. Had we not arrived he would surely have fallen. He really moved us and we said this one can't wait. Once we'd helped him remove all the ants, my brother gave him a shirt and we gave him a little bit of food. He turned out to be the best guide. That man knew all the routes to get us where we wanted to go.

When we arrived at our destination we found around 250 people: elderly, men, women and children. It was really difficult to negotiate who would leave first. Everyone wanted to go out on the first trip. It was incredible to see young men arguing and confronting us and pregnant women for a spot on the boat. Finally after a few minutes we convinced them to wait for the second trip. We left with more than 90 people. On some trips that number was a little less.

It was really dangerous for us. Had we wrecked we could have all died. Thank God we were able to do a number of trips until we rescued about 500 people. The lesson learned here was that people who are going to do this type of rescue operation have to be prepared to tackle these types of situations. People are really frightened under these types of circumstances and it is really difficult to negotiate with them.

CRS:

Had you ever seen anything of this magnitude before?

Palma:

Mitch was exceptional. I'd already experienced Hurricane Johann, but when Mitch struck it started with a loud sound, like a thunderclap or an electric shock. It was a rain like none Chinandega had ever seen—persistent and with large raindrops. I was living in one of the higher elevated areas of the city. It was impressive to watch how quickly the water level rose. In less than an hour it swelled to at least 16 inches and overtook the sidewalks. Some of the homes in the lower parts of town were flooded. The electricity went out, we had no running water, and the phone lines were down. Not having contact with our families and not knowing what was happening around the country left everyone feeling more desperate.

CRS:

With infrastructure destroyed, people had to become proactive in changing and rebuilding their lives. What role did Mitch play in that process?

Palma:

In my opinion, Mitch unveiled Nicaragua's vulnerabilities. It revealed to what degree we were organized as a country to face these types of natural disasters, how precarious the locations were of some of the houses in the higher-risk areas, and the quality of the homes of Nicaragua's poorest population. Since Mitch it has become clear that Nicaraguans are more conscious about their need to organize themselves and take into account construction and infrastructure recommendations. However, there is still a lot left to be done.

CRS:

This was more than a normal relief effort—it completely changed the way Catholic Relief Services responds to emergencies as an agency. Could you tell us about how this took place?

Palma:

We started with an agricultural recovery project. Our goal wasn't to rebuild a faithful photograph of agriculture before Mitch hit Nicaragua, but to take advantage of this event to design new intervention models. We wanted to improve the technology being used and the way in which families worked on their land.

A road damaged by Hurricane Mitch. Photo by Aida Vejzagic/CRS

We introduced, for example, a significant number of drip irrigation systems, with the end goal of saving water and maintaining production throughout the year. We selected a few areas in which to cultivate corn, beans and vegetables. We helped to establish ties to the market. To assist farmers who had lost their seeds as a result of Mitch, we introduced a number of improved-quality seeds and conducted a market survey to see which seeds were most in demand and what were the best prices being paid for them.

In terms of reforestation and land protection, we planted a large number of fruit trees on the patios and along property line fences. We were really successful with this project—the families took ownership of those trees and are now reaping the benefits.

Another really important effort was the organization of community committees. We developed these in coordination with the municipal governments. We trained the committees and gave them equipment to develop activities that would help to mitigate and relieve the effects of any future disasters.

CRS:

Looking back, now 10 years after Hurricane Mitch struck, how have things changed or not changed in Nicaragua?

Palma:

We now have an early warning system that ties together a national network of nongovernmental organizations, municipal governments, local organizations and community committees. All these groups actively prepare for and work to help mitigate the fallout from natural disasters.

Farmers have taken a series of preventive measures: soil and water conservation, water-saving irrigation technology, better seeds to improve soil productivity and lessen the need to use more land for agricultural activities, and the increased use of fruit trees. The increased use of these fruit trees by individual families contributes to their overall nutrition. We are also seeing the impact of our intervention and agricultural rehabilitation projects, in terms of production, income and job generation.