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Hurricane Mitch Effects

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Introduction Natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, seaquakes, and volcanic eruptions are all events that frequent the country of Nicaragua and its neighbors in Central America and the Caribbean. But one of the most devastating natural disasters to affect the country, Hurricane Mitch, has had a lasting effect on Nicaragua. There was an approximate of 3,000 deaths, 1,000 missing persons, 900,000 injured persons. The hurricane caused damage to 50,000 homes, 340 schools, 90 health care centers, 40 health posts and 6 hospitals across the country (Christopolos, et al, 2010). This paper will examine the conditions of Nicaragua before and after Hurricane Mitch and answer the question, what man-made factors played a role in the severe devastation of the country? First, the paper will discuss the major hazardous natural events that occurred in the wake of Hurricane Mitch and their effect on the country. Then the effect of human influence in geography, politics and social structure will be analyzed. Finally, the paper dissect the socio-economic effect Hurricane Mitch had on the country of Nicaragua.

Hazardous Natural Event Though Hurricane Mitch never made direct landfall, the 50 inches of rain it brought, led to lasting damage for the country of Nicaragua. Damage to infrastructure, roads, and buildings pushed the country 30-50 years back in development according to Menendez-Duerte, Marquinez, and Devoli (2003). They found that the heavy rains and floods led to

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