Enormous
landslide threatens to dam the Choluteca River. Many poor families once lived on
this unstable hillside. Clearing the river channel at this location removes weight
from the toe of the slide and enhances further downslope movement.Hurricane Mitch: Aftermath in Tegucigalpa
Enormous
landslide threatens to dam the Choluteca River. Many poor families once lived on
this unstable hillside. Clearing the river channel at this location removes weight
from the toe of the slide and enhances further downslope movement.
Abandoned
homes across from the National Gymnasium.
Raw
sewage spills from broken pipe into the Choluteca River near the National Gymnasium.
Honduras remains in serious need of a "Clean Water Act" and the resources
to treat municipal sewage.
Newspapers
report (April 9, 1999) that the National Gymnasium (where I used to play basketball) is to
be demolished so the river channel can be deverted from the toe of the landslide.
Flooding from Mitch severely damaged the building.
The
bridge connecting Barrio Abajo with Barrio El Chile was damaged by flooding but remains in
service (one lane only).
Barrio
El Chile as seen from Parque La Concordia.
Part of
the concrete railings from Parque La Concordia were swept away by flood waters.
Northwest
of La Concordia: landslides on BOTH sides of the Choluteca River!
The slide on the right appears more massive, but the channel can not be moved to
the left (too much mountain!).
Concrete
lamp posts in Parque La Concordia all point the same direction - downstream. How
much force did the flood waters need to break off these reinforced concrete posts?
Homes
that once stood next to the south bank of the Choluteca River have been completely razed.
Note
the sediments on which low-lying homes of Barrio El Chile rest. Above the Valle
de Ángeles bedrock are horizontal layers of sand and boulders - sediments
deposited by flood waters during prehistoric floods. Mitch was not powerful enough
to wash away all of these older sediments. Could it be that this prehistoric
flood was even larger than the runoff caused by Mitch? How long ago did this
prehistoric flood occur? Mitch was not a unique
event. There have been massive floods in this location before, so it appears logical
to predict that they will occur here again.
More Mitch damage (under construction)