Hurricane Felix Nicanet Hotline Update Date: Fri, 14 Sep 2007 01:02:21 -0500 (CDT) Nicaragua Network Hotline September 10, 2007 Hurricane Felix Update--You Can Help! The Administration of President Daniel Ortega is preparing to ask the Nicaraguan National Assembly to approve a supplemental budget appropriation of US$10.7 million for immediate aid to the victims of Hurricane Felix. Even so, Alberto Guevara, Minister of the Treasury, told Radio Nicaragua that this sum would not be sufficient to satisfy the urgent needs of the estimated 150,542 people who have been affected by the hurricane. The government also announced that the death toll had reached 67 although other sources said 100. Evaluation teams are still in the region trying to determine how many people died. National Public Radio reported on Sept. 9 that officials suspected they would never know the true number of fatalities because of the isolation of many communities in the Nicaraguan rain forest. Government sources said that the most needed items were water, food, medicine, plastic tarps, and galvanized roofing sheets. Groups in many Nicaraguan cities were collecting funds and needed items to send to their fellow countrymen and women who were suffering. Aid is also arriving from friendly countries, the United Nations and the major international aid groups. If you can make a contribution to help the Nicaraguan victims of Hurricane Felix, click here! (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=abipnecab.0.x5xeeybab.l5csqsbab.325&ts=S0278&p=http% 3A%2F%2Fwww.nicanet.org%2Fdonate_afgj.htm) The United Nations has called the world community to a meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss coordination of donations for the reconstruction of the areas damaged by Felix. UN officials are meeting with Nicaraguan national and local government officials to try to map out the needs of the population. Alfredo Missair, UN coordinator in Nicaragua said that among the first priorities would be reestablishing classes for school children in order to return them to some kind of normality. He expected the total of promised assistance to come out of the Geneva meeting to total US$43 million. Eighty-six communities in the area around the mining community of Rosita and 31 near Bonanza were reported devastated with more than 30,000 people having lost their crops. Little of the forest has been left standing, according to reports, and the rivers, which are still running over their banks, carry tree trunks and branches. Maximo Sevilla, mayor of Bonanza, said, "It is very sad; we've lived an apocalyptic episode." The newspaper El Nuevo Diario reported that "his hopes were revived when a Nicaraguan Army helicopter arrived to leave off two tons of food for the 16 Mayangna (Sumo) indigenous communities" in the area. Army Major Jose Robleto said that four loads of purified water were being sent to Las Breqas where the people were desperate because their wells were contaminated and the rivers were the color of coffee with milk. Rice and bean harvests were lost in the region which raises the threat of hunger in the communities. German Quezada, representative of Oxfam International in Nicaragua, emphasized that aid programs must include a component of reviving agricultural production. "People have to harvest in order to go forward," he said. Oxfam, is coordinating its aid with the Nicaraguan National System of Disaster Prevention and Attention (SINAPRED), as are the other major national and international organizations. If you can make a contribution to help the Nicaraguan victims of Hurricane Felix, click here! (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=abipnecab.0.x5xeeybab.l5csqsbab.325&ts=S0278&p=http% 3A%2F%2Fwww.nicanet.org%2Fdonate_afgj.htm)Nicaragua Network aid will go through SINAPRED to purchase the items most needed by the affected population. The Nicaragua Network is not deducting any administration fee from this money. In Bilwi (Puerto Cabezas) people were injured in their collapsing houses because they did not believe reports that the hurricane was going to hit them. The governor of the North Atlantic Autonomous Region (RAAN), Reynaldo Francis Watson, said, "The people thought that it wasn't true that the hurricane was coming." They remembered several hurricanes in past years which were supposedly headed for Bilwi and ended up hitting elsewhere, including Joan, which devastated Bluefields in 1988. "We wouldn't leave our houses because thieves would have come to take the little that we have," said Hernando Jose Webster, who owns a little grocery store in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Bilwi. Juan Scott, pastor of Ebenezer Church said that about 150 people did try to escape the hurricane by taking refuge in his church but "the roof fell in on us where there were children, babies, and old people." If you are able to help, you can make a tax-deductible donation through the Nicaragua Network. One hundred percent of your contribution will be used to aid the hurricane victims. You can make a secure on- line credit card donation by going to: http://w ww.nicanet.org/donate_afgj.htm (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=abipnecab.0.x5xeeybab.l5csqsbab.325&ts=S0278&p=http% 3A%2F%2Fwww.nicanet.org%2Fdonate_afgj.htm). Click on the button that says Hurricane Felix. You can also call our office at 202-544-9355 with your credit card information or send a check to Nicaragua Network, 1247 E St., SE, Washington, DC 20003. Be sure to put "Hurricane relief" in the memo or include a note. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________ This hotline is prepared from the Nicaragua News Service and other sources. To receive a more extensive weekly summary of the news from Nicaragua by e-mail or postal service, send a check for $60.00 to Nicaragua Network, 1247 E St., SE, Washington, DC 20003. We can be reached by phone at 202-544-9355. Our web site is: www.nicanet.org (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=abipnecab.0.hxajrsbab.l5csqsbab.325&ts=S0278&p=http% 3A%2F%2Fwww.nicanet.org). To subscribe to the Hotline, send an e-mail to nicanet@afgj.org Nicaragua Network | 1247 E St. SE | Washington | DC | 20003