Creating Community after Disaster Norm Formation in Post-Hurricane Mitch Resettlements in Honduras

Hurricane Mitch (1998), one of the most powerful in human history, devastated the small impoverished isthmus nation of Honduras, affecting nearly half the nation’s population and displacing hundreds of thousands. The Roman Catholic cardinal, Oscar Rodriguez, noted that the disaster destroyed 50 years of development efforts in just a few days. Aid flooded in at an unprecedented rate, and the Honduran president promised that the nation would “build back better.” Indeed, many Hondurans hoped that, with this aid, they could utilize this tragedy as an opportunity to address the issues of poverty and crime that plagued their country. Unfortunately, this has not been most Hondurans’ experience (Ensor 2010). Although the nation’s infrastructure was rebuilt, larger social issues now haunt the small country. Crime is ubiquitous; corruption entangles many institutions, lowering trust in the government; and gang violence has earned the nation the title “homicide CONTeNTs