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Rebuilding after the apocalypse
I returned to Guatemala 6 months later, in May 1999. Roads and homes were being rebuilt, electric lines strung and water pipes refitted. With the dead disappeared and survivors silenced, Guatemala returned to its normal quiet labor. While dead men tell no tales, those tales continuously replay in the minds of survivors. Were our experiences…
Storm of Evil-Outtakes
Will the Environmentalists who almost got us killed please stand up? Sifting through my piles of notes and photos, I had some tough decisions to make. How to organize everything into a real story that didn’t run a thousand pages? I needed to leave parts of our adventure on the cutting room floor. I promised…
Moving Forward-Into a New World
Welcome to a new year and to a new world, everyone. During this apocalypse, anything is possible. So many veils have lifted. So many changes have rocked our world. We now understand our reality differently and better than before. We’ve examine so many parts of our lives and and made difficult decisions. Routines were upended.…
Merry Christmas From Hurricane Mitch Survivors
As the end of 2020 approaches, we have a chance to reflect not only on this unique year, but on our entire lives. This year has no doubt brought enormous changes for everyone. We can also look ahead to how we can build a better future. I’ve heard 2020 be called an apocalypse. Apocalypse means…
Giving Thanks
When I look back over this year, I can’t help but notice how different it’s been from every other year of my life. In the years since Hurricane Mitch, we’ve mourned our losses and learned our lessons. Now, we try to focus on everything we have to be thankful for. We have our health. We…
Meet The Characters – Storm of Evil
The American Alicia Ruisseau is an 19 year old American raised on her family’s farm in Minnesota. Her survival skills come from her French-Canadian Grandmother, an army nurse and World War Two veteran. They’re descended from Canadian voyageurs and adventurers. She draws on lessons passed down from early frontiersmen and her family to survive the…
Justice Hope Truth
What was our goal in writing about Hurricane Mitch? After much soul searching, strong goals and reasons to push forward emerged. I needed to tell our truth, find justice and create hope. We had to keep our goals in mind as we struggled and pushed through until the end. When we felt overwhelmed, stuck, or…
Hurricane Mitch Anniversary: Copan Ruins
Hurricane Mitch snaked its way across Honduras, wreaking havoc on the land and destroying lives this week, 22 years ago. The picturesque countryside held the 1500 year old ruins of Copan, Honduras. Only two months prior, I climbed those ruins as an exuberant tourist. Hardworking locals toiled, completely unaware that they would soon be pummeled…
22nd Anniversary Hurricane Mitch
Yesterday was the anniversary of the day Hurricane Mitch made landfall off the coast of Honduras. I have to take a moment to reflect on how far we’ve come. It may have taken this long for us to fully grieve and accept all that happened. This long to put our memories and feelings into the…
Thank You!
A special thanks to my friends and family who gave me great feedback, constructive criticism and encouragement on my first drafts of Storm of Evil-Based on a True Story. Thank you to my editor, cover designers and to Upwork.com for making independent publishing possible. Thank you to everyone who purchased my book or read pages…
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Diana Veltin 