Definition of Hurricane Felix

In the early morning of September 4, 2007, a hurricane of force 5 in the scale Saffir-Simpson hit the coasts of Nicaragua and part of the territory from Honduras and Guatemala. And since all hurricanes have his name, this one was called Felix. Thanks to the meteorological prediction systems, it was possible to identify the origin of the hurricane in the Caribbean and in this way it was possible to coordinate actions to stop its destructive effect.

Main damages and humanitarian intervention

The force of the wind exceeded 250 km / h and on its way destroyed more than 140 communities near the Atlantic coast. More than 300,000 people suffered its effects, 102 died, a total of 73 disappeared and more than 17,000 had to leave their homes. Thousands of homes were destroyed, more than a million hectares of forest were devastated, and many communities were turned into temporary refugee camps.

The passage of Hurricane Felix uniquely affected the Nicaraguan regions of the Atlantic. There was environmental damage of all kinds: fish kills in the lagoons, reduction of seagrass,

migration from monkeys to other ecosystems, destroyed crop fields, damaged river mangroves, etc. These environmental alterations had consequences on the food chain of animals and affected fishing and hunting as subsistence activities. Thirty days after the hurricane, the waters of the rivers were contaminated.

In a few days, an international humanitarian aid program of close to 40 million dollars was activated, which was used for tasks of emergency and for the restoration of basic infrastructures. It must be taken into account that after the hurricane, measures had to be taken to control possible forest fires and distribute medicines among the affected populations.

The history of natural disasters in Nicaragua

Some experts consider that the geographical situation of Nicaragua is conducive to certain natural disasters. In this sense, it has been said that it is a "multi-threat" country.

- In 1835 the volcano Cosigüina caused an eruption that shook all of Central America. In 1971 Hurricane Edith de category 5 caused similar effects to Hurricane Felix in 2007.

- In 1972 there was a earthquake that especially affected the capital, producing more than 19,000 deaths and the partial destruction of Managua.

- In 1988 Hurricane Juana generated the evacuation of more than 300,000 people.

- In 1992 a tsunami on the Pacific coast caused great damage and more than 170 deaths.

Photos: Fotolia - Jurgen Falchle / Sergii Rostetskyi

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