Five years after Hurricane Mitch devastated Central America, one Nicaraguan woman tells Christian Aid's Katie Splevins how the deadliest hurricane to hit the region in two centuries destroyed her village.

A crackly voice on the radio was the only warning Marian Acuna Cruz had that a hurricane was hurtling across Central America towards her home in Matagalpa, Nicaragua.

In two hours, winds of up to 250 kilometres per hour and torrential rain had devastated her village and left many of her friends and relatives forever traumatised by the sound of rain.

It was 2:00 p.m. on 28 October 1998 when it started. Despite living on the banks of a river, Acuna was not at first unduly concerned.

“We live in an area where there are about 30 storms a year,” she said. “It’s not unusual to have bad weather.”

In addition, a further announcement came over the radio. The government denied there was a massive hurricane and said people should not panic.

“I was a bit nervous, but I didn’t really think it was an emergency,” Acuna, 40, said. “I took out a few candles just in case.”

CHEST-DEEP IN WATER

Three hours later, when the rapidly rising river suddenly burst its banks, Acuna and her neighbours were not prepared.

“All of a sudden we were chest-deep in water,” she said. “The current was so strong I could hardly walk. I was terrified my children would be swept away.”

As Acuna pulled herself towards the doorway of her house the scene before her left her speechless.

“The road through our village had turned into an enormous river,” she said. “In the water, being dragged along were animals -- chickens, pigs and cattle -- all crying out and fighting against the current. Clothes, furniture, food and belongings were all being taken away.”

The current was fierce and Acuna knew she had little time to spare. She grabbed her three terrified and screaming children and started wading through the river towards higher ground.

“I was terrified -- I thought we were all going to die,” she said. “We managed to get to the top of a hill where there was a community centre. Everyone else had gone there too and it was chaos.

“Men were crying along with the children. The men had lost everything they had worked so hard for. The children were petrified. Some people were injured. Others had been rescued from the river with ropes or had pulled themselves up on branches.”

There were 384 people crushed together on the hilltop when the sides of the valley surrounding the river finally gave way and a huge mudslide sunk into the valley, destroying what was left of their houses.

LEFT WITH NOTHING

Further away, others were also affected by what became known as the deadliest Atlantic hurricane in two centuries. More than 10, 000 people in the region were killed and 10 per cent of Nicaraguans were left homeless.

For five days and nights, Acuna, her family and neighbours, remained in the crowded hall of the small community centre. The river had cut them off from the nearest town and they had no way of calling for help.

The rain and wind were unrelenting and what little food a few people had salvaged was soon gone. They were afraid for their lives and angry with the government that had allowed them to believe they had nothing to fear.

“Some nights I thought I could feel the land moving under us,” Acuna said. “The river kept on rising and it felt like it was boiling and bubbling towards us. I thought we were all going to die.”

Finally, the rain began to ease and people started venturing out of the community hall.

“I couldn’t believe what I saw,” she said. “Nothing was there any more. Everything was flat. The hurricane had taken all the trees and houses. There was only piles of dirt and soil and dead animals.”

Later, as the river further subsided, a woman was found dead under some fallen trees. She was still clutching her baby.

Despite not being able to swim, Acuna decided she would try to cross the still-swollen river and call for help. Tied to a length of rope held tight by her family, she succeeded in making it to the other side and walked three kilometres to the nearest town to raise the alarm.

HAPPY TO BE ALIVE

Immediate aid was sent and villagers balanced warm clothes, medicine, rice, salt and other essentials on their heads to keep them dry as they crossed the river.

As the weather improved, Acuna and her neighbours were able to go back to what was once their homes.

“We were without everything,” she said. “But even though we had nothing we were happy we had been left with our lives.”

The villagers needed somewhere to live and Acuna turned to the Community Movement of Matagalpa (MCM) for help.

Funded by Christian Aid, MCM helped provide money for building materials and advised the workers on houses designed to withstand high winds. The community organised themselves into groups and carried sand and stones to the village to strengthen buildings and act as buffers.

Over the next year or so, everyone -- old, young, women and men -- worked together to re-build the village. Terraces were put in place to prevent future landslides. Trees and crops were re-planted and new animals bred.

“It was awful to lose everything, “Acuna said. “But now we are finally back to normal. We have new houses, maize and beans for food and a stronger community. We always watch the river and have an alarm system in place.

“If the bell rings, then everyone knows what they must do. The children all take an animal each and everyone has their own responsibility for saving something.”

There are even puppet shows on hand should the children become distressed. Many children were permanently traumatised by Hurricane Mitch and left with nightmares and a permanent fear of storms.

“The one thing good thing to come out of all this was that we were left with a very strong sense of community,” Acuna said. “I hope nothing like this ever happens again, but if it did I feel like between us we would be able to cope with it.”

Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters.

Click here for PHOTO GALLERY: CARE USA helps Mitch survivors