Hurricane Felix

I'm sure a lot of you have heard about Hurricane Felix in the states. It passed over the Atlantic Coast Region of Nicaragua with force, but in Managua, just lots of rain and thunderstorms. In other words, I'M TOTALLY FINE. The towns it affected most are Puerto Cabezas (the biggest city in the north atlantic region), Bilwi, and Sandy Bay, where they say that all of the houses on the bay were destroyed.

The government today is saying that the death count is at 39 but could reach 70, 105 people missing, 18, 477 evacuated, 70,000 residents affected, and 7,795 houses destroyed. Bodies of those who drowned are appearing on shore. Search teams have found 17 unidentified bodies so far, and Honduran authorities found 12.

Most of the houses in the region are made of wood, and they say that the rooves simply blew right off the houses. Even in the schools that people were staying in as refuges, the rooves blew off. Right now there is a crisis because there is no electricity, no water and very little food. There's also the risk of disease spreading through contaminated wells and mosquitos.

People are organizing around the country to provide support to their fellow citizens, sending food, water, clothes, hygiene supplies and blankets, among other things. The centro is throwing a fundraiser with a raffle, music and dance performances. The Red Cross has been helping too.. (A lot of this info and the pictures come from today's La Prensa).