Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Agatha Cost 72 Million Dollars

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

TEGUCIGALPA, Jun 21 2010 (IPS) - Tropical storm Agatha left a wake of destruction in her path across Honduras three weeks ago, causing 72 million dollars in losses in farming and road infrastructure, say officials. Secretary of Agriculture Jacobo Regalado told Tierramérica that at least 1,500 cattle drowned in floods and some 7,000 hectares of crops were damaged, affecting small and medium farms in particular.

“The environmental fragility was revealed, and the resources needed for risk mitigation and management are enormous, because nearly the whole country is defenseless against phenomena like Agatha,” Regalado said.

In Tegucigalpa alone, about 200 million dollars are needed for recovery in disaster zones, where some 300,000 families live in the fragile terrain that surrounds the city, he said.