Children enjoy a beautiful day in Bluefields.While most Nicaraguans immediately associate tropical cyclones with the infamous Hurricane Mitch (a storm that caused many fatal mudslides in the north central portion of the country), Bluefieldians have been scarred by the horrific memory of Hurricane Joan, 20 years prior. Hurricane Joan made landfall in 1988 as a strong Category 3 near Bluefields, which severely damaged or destroyed 80%-90% of the buildings in the city. During Monica’s interviews and conversations with the local people, she heard many firsthand accounts of Joan (pronounced Jo-wan in the local Creole English dialect). People told their stories of how they hid in bathrooms and covered themselves with mattresses and, when the storm became so strong that the walls begin to fall, they used chairs as shields from flying debris to run to find more secure shelter. Because Bluefields is not accessible by road, evacuations out of the city are not common in the event of a hurricane. Local refuge places such as churches and schools are the best protection that the people have in the event of a major storm.
Monica’s research incorporates how past experiences, such as Hurricane Joan, have influenced or altered perceptions or behaviors toward future hurricanes. Through her research surveys, she found that despite the frightening and horrific experiences that most people had with Hurricane Joan, many would still choose to stay in their homes if another hurricane were to threaten the city. Monica found that there were two main reasons that people sited for not taking refuge in the event of a future storm: 1) many believed that their homes would be able to withstand any future events because most homes are now built of cement and masonry; 2) many are reluctant to evacuate because they are not willing to leave their belongings unattended for fear that looters would steal their hard-earned possessions during or after a storm.
While she was in Nicaragua, Monica also traveled to the Corn Islands, a six hour boat ride from Bluefields, where she found even less access to refuge shelters and resources. Although the Red Cross and Defense of Civil have attempted to formulate disaster preparation along the Atlantic coast, money and resources are in such short supply due to the struggling Nicaraguan economy that very little progress has been made since Hurricane Joan in 1988. Monica will use the information she collected over the summer for the completion of her Master’s thesis, and she plans to continue disaster research in impoverished countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. Monica’s research in Nicaragua was partially sponsored by a research grant from the NIU Center for Latino and Latin American Studies. For a more detailed account of Monica’s trip, visit her blog.
