Roatan has found itself in a health crisis. On April 19, around 9pm, Roatan Public Hospital in Coxen Hole burned down in a spectacular fire. The fire destroyed 95% of the 33 year old building except for a portion of the office annex.
With local economies booming the Bay Islands Municipalities have been upgrading their infrastructure, especially their municipal buildings. With increased revenues in local and land taxes, business and building permits, the Municipal governments have money to spend.
One of the many people who work at the municipal dump is Maribel Biacorta, 22, who has been working at the refuse site since she was 14.
Jerry Hynds, Roatan’s Mayor, ex-congressman, arguably the island’s dominant businessman, land owner and the department’s most influential Liberal Party politician was arrested in a record size drug bust, one day before political election campaigns were to begin across Honduras.
Roatan’s first Cruise Ship Port is expanding and is likely to change island’s growth and image for decades, yet few people seem to know the extent and scope of the expansion that is already taking place.
Honduras’ national football team has made great strides since its first international match in 1921 when it lost 10-1 to Guatemala. The “Catrachos” qualified three times for the FIFA World Cup: in 1982, 2010 and 2014.
Roatan never had a master plan for its road system. The island’s roads were never zoned and the current road system is the result of organic growth: occasional availability of funds; local and national politics; and access to construction equipment, spare parts and fuel.