Hurricane Michelle in Honduras, Nicaragua and Cayman Islands

Michelle has hit Honduras and Nicaragua the hardest, although reports of substantial health problems in Jamaica are beginning to come in. As of Friday evening, 2 November, Cuba is on the alert.

More than 27,300 people have been evacuated from flooded regions of Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. The storm could drop two to four inches of rain on Honduras and Nicaragua, causing potentially deadly flash floods and mudslides.

Michelle affected more than 20,000 persons in Honduras. Four people are confirmed dead, seven people are missing, and 4,070 have been evacuated. On 29 October, the Government declared the following five departments as emergency areas: Atlántida, Colón, Cortés, Santa Barbara and Yoro. The floods come in the wake of a prolonged drought that destroyed corn and bean crops in the south, center and west of the country, affecting some 800,000 Hondurans. Yoro has been affected the worst, presently there is no access by road, and the area faces the complications of a virtually non-existent supply of drinking water and no electricity. The Government allocated 1.5 million Honduras Lempiras (US$96,000) from the Emergency Fund for the purchase of food supplies and relief items for citizens affected in the north of the country.

Nicaragua
Approximately 1,000 people have been affected by Michelle in Nicaragua. Four people are dead and twelve are missing. The Sistema Nacional para la Prevención, Mitigación y Atención de Desastres reported on 31 October that 3,500 pounds of food supplies have been distributed to Nicaraguans affected by Michelle. The most affected areas in the Región Autónoma del Atlántico Norte are: Sandy Bay Norte, Lidaukura, Raytl Pura, Ninayaris, Tasbaraya, Prahya and Tawasaky. It is feared that the transport of basic supplies from the interior of the country to the city of Puerto Cabezas might be cut off.

Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands have been experiencing heavier than normal rainfall since Friday, October 27, and it is expected to continue. There is localized flooding in the western and southern part of the island. The National Hurricane Committee has been meeting in special sessions. Because 8-10 foot waves are expected, all boats have been moored in the north sound. The Medical Relief Committee in the Cayman Islands says the hospital plan has been activated and the hospital can be shuttered in 1-5 hours if need be. Public advisories have been issued and shelters will be opened if and as needed.

Needs
In Honduras, specifically, emergency needs in the health sector fall into several broad categories.

• This includes activities related to food handling, including storage, distribution, processing, conservation and consumption.
• Production and dissemination of educational public information on the safe handling of food and the prevention and management of diarrehal diseases.
• Mental Health: Organization of disaster mental health support teams, in collaboration with the Division of Human Resources of the Ministry of Health.

Health Services

• This includes activities related to the assessment of the physical and functional damage to and vulnerability of the health services network. Multidisciplinary teams will be formed (civil engineer, hospital equipment specialist, physician, nurse, driver)to evaluate the physical and functional state of health infrastructure in the most severely affected areas.
• Coordination of communications networks among outlying health centers and of entities that supply medicines and other critical supplies.

Violence

• Activities related to reducing violence among the affected population should begin several days after the most immediate emergency actions have been undertaken and should focus on preventing intra-family violence, particularly in shelters, where it commonly occurs in this type of crisis.

Disease Surveillance and Control

Torrential rains have flooded several municipalities in the north of Honduras. These are experiencing a decline in sanitary conditions which could lead to potential epidemics of diarrheal diseases, including cholera; vector borne diseases such as malaria and dengue; and certain zoonosis such as leptospirosis. Some of these were already present prior to the flooding in these areas which were already considered at high risk for communicable diseases. Activities will include:

• Strengthening the national epidemiological surveillance system to detect and respond to outbreaks.
• Daily analysis of the epidemiological situation in the affected areas.
• Providing surveillance in shelters and other high-risk areas to prevent and control health risks.

Water and Sanitation

To prevent and control environmental risks that impact health, activities will focus on:

• Diagnosis of the situation and establishing work priorities
• Immediate response with water tank trucks, chlorine, latrines, and support for the proper management of solid waster and other sanitary needs.
• Technical support in shelters
• Technical support to information and education campaigns and the promotion of hygiene measures as the situation warrants.