by Marvin J. Ramirez
Marvin J. Ramirez
While the residents of the Atlantic Coast zone of Nicaragua gather its more than one hundred dead persons, while thousands are left homeless at the loss of their homes by the devastating hurricane Félix, very few have organized in the San Francisco Bay Area to coordinate help for the victims.
According to Nicaraguan Education Secretary Miguel De Castilla the school year is practically lost in the Autonomous Region of the North Atlantic Ocean (RAAN), because the hurricane Félix affected 90 per cent of the schools of the zone of disaster, leaving them without roof, while the furniture was destroyed.
Twenty per cent of the schools remained completely destroyed.
At press time, it was reported that the number of dead left by hurricane Félix ascended to 168, according to preliminary information offered by the authorities.
In the Bay Area, up to this moment, it had not been confirmed about any organization that was making the effort to organize help in the community.
It was known at the last hour that the musical team Los Ramblers would be organizing a musical charitable event in the Club Roccapulco next Sunday, Sept. 16, where local musicians would take part voluntarily. Then someone said there would be one on Sunday, Sept. 23 at Cafe Cocomo, in San Francisco.
Days after hurricane flog the zone, the ex-consul of Nicaragua, Auralila Beteta, wrote to El Reportero expressing her worry at the absence of any initiative from local Nicaraguans to assist their countrymen during this misfortune.
“I must show you my dissatisfaction for the inertia of our countrymen here, including the official representation of the Nicaraguan government. Three days happen already passed nobody doing anything yet, ” said the ex-diplomatic official.
“What a sadness causes all this to me. I asked my children (to help) and sent a donation to the Red Cross so that my droplet of love comes to this desert of poverty, pain and defenseless our community on the Atlantic Coast.
The representative of UNICEF in Nicaragua, Debora Comini, said that the biggest worry there are the indigenous communities, located to the north of the country and that they are more isolated.
“These populations lack infrastructure to be protected from the wind and the intense rains,” the official said.
Considering the coincidence of the date of the disaster with the celebration of Independence Day, the organizers of this event, especially the representatives of the most affected Central American countries, must re-focus their goals of the native celebration, conducting a massive fund-raising and material support during the week that is left before the Independence event.
A human touch will offer the opportunity to the community to create solidarity, get involve and to contribute with the most possible help.
