MEMORIES OF Hurricane Andrew help us appreciate the devastation that Hurricane Mitch left behind in Central America. Andrew was one of the most powerful Atlantic storms of the century when it blew into Dade County, Fla. The 1992 storm killed 14 people and left 40,000 homeless. But that storm's fury does not compare with Mitch's path of death and destruction.
The hurricane, later downgraded to a tropical storm, killed at least 9,000 people. Many were buried in mudslides. Another 13,000 people are missing. More than a million are homeless in Nicaragua and Honduras, in need of food, fresh water and medicine.
Delivering aid that has already arrived for the victims is a challenge. Honduras has been described as a land of islands; its road system was destroyed by the storm. The international community must work to help Honduras rebuild the key parts of its damaged infrastructure -- and quickly.
In times like these -- unimaginable to most of us -- the work of relief agencies and individuals are critical.
How to help
The following are a few of the organizations working to ease the suffering in Central America:
International Response Fund
P.O. Box 37243
Washington, D.C. 20013
800-HELP-NOW
P.O. Box 17090
Baltimore, MD 21203
800-235-2772
Lutheran World Relief
Church Street Station
P.O. Box 6186
New York, NY 10277
800-597-5972
Doctors Without Borders
6 E. 39th St., 8th Floor
New York, NY 10016
888-392-0392
Pub Date: 11/08/98