Of dams and hurricanes: Lessons and recommendations from El Cajon

Honduras is predominantly mountainous; its highest peaks are close to 2800 m. The country has a population of approximately s million and an area of 112,000 km2. In a bid to solve its energy problems and achieve greater self-sufficiency in energy production, Honduras turned to its abundant water resources. El Cajon Reservoir, the largest civil engineering project ever undertaken in the country, was a result of this approach. At the same time, Honduras is very prone to hurricanes. The present article describes the effects of Hurricane Mitch (1998) on El Cajon dam and examines the extent to which the reservoir was able to mitigate the hurricane's impact in downstream areas. It concludes with a series of recommendations for preventive action in the event of future hurricanes.