|
Spanish I & II and Geo-Civics Official Web Page
|
| � | � | �
|
|
Letter to School Board from Berthe Garcia and Mark Michaud
|
| �
|
|
News of the horrible conditions left in Central America by Hurricane Mitch has reached most of our students and community members by now. the lives of adults and children alike in this devastated region have been permanently altered. Entire communities have been buried in mudslides, flooding has separated many families, and many necessary supplies are in demand. In order to heighten awareness of and compassion for the victims of Hurricane Mitch in Nicaragua and Honduras, the most affected areas, we have developed a project which we hope will make a difference. Our Geo-Civics ans Spanish 1 and 2 classes at Madawaska High School are collaborating during Christmas season to collect money from our school community to donate to the Red Cross for the victims of Hurricane Mitch. This project will also serve to educate our students concerning the Central America countries in the following areas: geography (location, place, human interaction, region, movement), language(Spanish), culture, history, as well as technology. Our students will use various recourses including newspapers, magazines, the internet, and television reports. We will publicize through Channel 7, the intercom at school, parish bulletins, poster, drop-off cans in specific locations, and even the internet. We will announce the amount collected during our annual Christmas assembly.
|
| �
|
|
Current Situation
|
|
The National Emergency Committee has updated figures on the human toll of Mitch. As at 2 December, the number of confirmed deaths amounts to 5,642, with 8,050 persons still reported missing, 12,272 wounded, 1,482,659 affected and 1,199,000 displaced. A total of 70,000 houses were destroyed in the formal sector and 30,000 in the informal sector.
Cleaning-up activities continue throughout the country with the mobilisation of secondary school students and community groups using small tools, and with the assistance of bilateral donors and international organizations. The lack of resources for heavy equipment still prevents the recuperation of large parts of urban centres. All the major roads have been reopened with temporary repairs, deviations and some temporary bridges, pending the availability of funds for reconstruction work. A major problem remains the accessibility of a large number of communities still isolated by the destroyed secondary and tertiary roads and bridges. This is seriously hampering the distribution of food and other relief items.
The destruction of water supply and waste disposal systems continues to represent the most serious health risks for the population at large. Some progress has been made in restoring running water in a limited number of urban centres. In Tegucigalpa, 60% of the population has now access to running water. The most common illnesses currently reported, beside common cold, are diarrhea, skin diseases, acute respiratory infections and conjunctivitis. Sixteen cases of Leptospirosis have also been reported, of which four resulted in death. Reported limited cases of cholera are being investigated. Prevention measures against dengue, malaria, acute diarrhea and respiratory diseases need to be strengthened.
National church groups have been given the responsibility of managing the shelters which still number over 1,300 with approximately 285,000 displaced people.
Schools still remain closed and are not due to reopen before February. The Ministry of Education has launched a 100-day Emergency Plan, prepared with support from the World Bank and UNDP, which foresees a transformation of the entire educational system in Honduras
|
| �
|
|
A little on Hurricane Mitch
|
Hurricane Mitch grew to become the Atlantic basin's fourth strongest hurricane ever with sustained winds of 180 mph September 26 into early September 27, 1998. It was the strongest storm in the western Caribbean since Hurricane Gilbert in 1988. Mitch stalled off the coast of Honduras from late on Oct. 27 until the evening of Oct. 29 before moving slowly inland. As the storm's winds weakened it continued dumping heavy rain on Central America, causing floods and mudslides that had been blamed for at least 10,000 deaths by Nov. 2. On Nov. 3, Mitch's ghostly remains entered the southern Gulf of Mexico and warm waters rejuvenated the system into a tropical storm. Mitch then barreled through southern Florida early Nov. 5 before finally becoming extratropical at 4 p.m. EST, Nov. 5.
| | �
|
|
Favourite links
| |
| |
