Climate-related disaster opens a window of opportunity for rural poor in northeastern Honduras

There are two distinct views of how rural communities in developing countries cope with natural disasters: one, that they are acutely vulnerable and need external assistance to survive, and two, that natural disasters can trigger latent local adaptive capacities, leading to systematic improvements. This study finds the latter view to be more compelling based on a study of a rural Honduran community that responded to Hurricane Mitch's destruction by initiating land reform and programs to counteract deforestation. These local-led efforts fortified the community against later flooding, suggesting that future aid interventions should foster local capacities for endogenous change.