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Project Felix
On 4th
September 2007, Hurricane Felix made landfall on the Atlantic coast
of Nicaraguaas a category 5 hurricane. Over 100
people died in the storm which destroyed more than 10,000 homes. Nuevas Esperanzasoffered assistance to meet urgent needs for water and sanitation and was
assigned the task of addressing immediate needs in the municipality of Rosita in the Región Autónoma Atlántico Norte by the government’s disaster
relief committee.
Nuevas Esperanzas worked jointly
with the Ministry of Health to bring clean water supplies to the hundreds of
families living in shelters after losing their homes. Shelters in the three communities of California, El Black and
Las Breñas were given the highest priority due to the risk of outbreaks of
disease.
A temporary water supply was installed at California and a spring source close to the
shelter developed. The spring source was
protected with a structure which filters the water and provides enough storage
to ensure that the supply was able to meet demand at peak times. In El Black the contaminated well was treated
and the water chlorinated for use. In
the community of Las Breñas a contaminated well was rehabilitated using an
innovative solution to filter the water.
In each of these three communities, two latrines were constructed to
provide improved sanitation, a cost-effective method of disease prevention.
Nuevas Esperanzas also assessed
wells believed to be contaminated by the storm and undertook work to treat
contaminated water supplies. The water
and sanitation team was equipped with submersible and non-submersible pumps
which were used to remove contaminated flood waters where necessary and large supplies
of chlorine to disinfect wells, as well as a portable laboratory to test the
bacteriological quality of the water.
Funds for this project were provided by the Peace and Hope Shop,
Llantwit Major,Llantwit Major Community Church and other private donors.
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