Hurricanes Eta and Iota devastated the Indigenous Miskito people’s homeland, in what is now the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua, within the span of two weeks in November 2020. The destruction wrought by the storms, on top of centuries of colonialism, continues to pull families apart nearly a year and a half later, Atmos reports. The deeply-reported piece follows multiple Miskito survivors of the storms as they attempt to rebuild their lives, homes, communities, and selves.
For some, this means remaining. “We’ve been here hundreds of years,” Norman Molina Chaw, 60, said, “and we’ll be here when Jesus comes. We’re never leaving our land.” For others, it means splitting families apart. “I don’t feel great, but what can I do?” a 33-year-old single mother said via WhatsApp while attempting to emigrate to the U.S. “My family can’t keep living this way. It’s not fair to my kids.” (Atmos; Climate Signals background: Hurricanes, 2020 Atlantic hurricane season)