The Tropical Weather Blob - A MAJOR Prayer Request

 In preparation for this blog post, Trish wondered, "What should we talk about today?" Then she waited for inspiration. Trish knew there was one thing she didn’t want to talk about. She didn’t want to talk about the weather! How could we talk about the impact the rains are having on Honduras when so much of the U.S. is still reeling from Hurricane Ian? No, we definitely shouldn’t talk about the weather. Anything but that! So, Trish spoke to Allen about possible topics. "What should we talk about today?"

"The weather!" he replied. "Talk about the weather and the impact flooding and excessive rain are having on Honduras." Okay. Trish chuckled to herself because that really is the most pressing topic. She describes it as a “slow motion hurricane without the wind.” The result is still devastating even if there isn’t a single BIG weather event. 

For the past few days, the weather in Honduras has been a little dryer and people were hopeful that the country has been through the worst of the flooding, mud slides, washed out bridges, damaged roads, etc. But there is another storm system that looks like it will be hitting Honduras next week. It’s too soon to know what to expect. Hurricane? Tropical storm? As Trish said, “We don’t know, but the forecast shows there is a tropical blob of weather heading our way.” And that is why Trish should really have her own show on the Weather Channel. Because a lot more people would care about meteorology if we could talk about tropical blobs of weather.

Why is this blob - that may or may not develop into a storm - such a concern? Because Honduras is in a very vulnerable state right now, as was mentioned in this previous blog post. 

(Trish is editing this to add: Since speaking with Christi yesterday, the blob of weather has been developing. It is now expected to hit land as a category one hurricane and continue through Honduras as a major tropical storm.)

Here are some reasons that Honduras is so vulnerable right now, and why we are asking for prayers:

Washed out dirt road

• Many of the homes are made from dried mud. When dried mud gets saturated, it just becomes mud again. Plus, homes in western Honduras are often built into the hillsides, because there is so little flat land up in the mountains. People scoop enough earth out of a hillside to make a flat spot to build upon. When heavy rains come, the area surrounding the homes can slide down. One family in the Mercedes sponsorship program recently woke up to find their home filled with mud. They lost everything they owned. The family is rebuilding their home and donations were collected to help them replace some of the basics, like clothing and school supplies. Stories of destroyed homes are regularly in the news around Gracias right now!

• The Honduran infrastructure is fragile and limited. There aren't many roads, and the ones that exist often aren't well built or well maintained. Both dirt and paved roads are experiencing severe damage this year.  Water projects are also taking a hit. The parts of the system that collect the water from the river are battered by the strength of the flood waters until they break. When a part breaks, it can’t be repaired until the flood water subsides.  

Newspaper report about serious damage to major roads in the country

This bridge accesses villages in one of our sponsorship programs!

• Much of Honduras' economy is agricultural. In the northern part of the country, a lot of fruit is grown for export – especially pineapples and bananas. That is a lowland coastal area that is always the first to flood. Large areas of homes have been lost in that region. In the area around Gracias, a lot of subsistence food is grown – things like corn and beans. And, of course, there’s the coffee. While gardens tend to like water, there is a limit to how much they can take. The plants especially don't like when they are washed down the mountainside by mudslides!

Flooded homes in a flatter part of Honduras.
The massive rains we are getting in the mountains flow down to these areas.

When there is a single, catastrophic weather event, people rush to send help and money. Since the situation in Honduras has been gradual, over the course of several months, the situation really hasn't created much interest outside of the people who are affected. Please remember Honduras in your prayers – particularly as the upcoming tropical weather blob approaches!

 - posted by Christi