samantha (at) respectnature.com

Guatemala: Government Declares National Emergency
portland.indymedia.org/en/2005/10/326439.shtml

Oct 6

I don´t have news from the south coast but definitly the situations is really bad. I am working with orgs in Atitlan (the area around Lake Atitlan, considered one of the most beautiful lakes in the world and a great center of Mayan culture, as well as tourism) so this is my most recent report.


Dear Friends



After five days of rains as a deluge (Stan storm), all the south coast of Guatemala is overflow. 8 of the more importants bridges from Guatemala to Mexico were destroyed and just yesterday were reported 79 people dead. There are many zones without comunication so nobody has information about the real sittuation in rural areas. There are many people dissapeared. The comments are that we are facing a problem stronger than (Hurricane) Mitch.

We have two Programs, El Polochic and Atitlan, the situations is as follows:

POLOCHIC

In el Polochic (north West of the country) the sittuation is relatively normal so our team is safe BUT in alert.

ATITLAN IS IN AN EMERGENCY. This area is one of the most devastated areas in the higlands.

In Atitlan, where we have a cooperative program (Ecoapocs, Ijatz, Vivamos Mejor) the situation is really bad. the communitacion is not good so the current reports are only advances of the current sittuation; the phones are dead only comcel company is working, the radio stations and Rainiero are reporting the following sittuation:

In Santiago Atitlan the local radio reported 30 people dead and many disappeared.

In Panajachel, the bridge close to Vivamos Mejor (san Francisco) was completely destroyed and almost 40% of the city is overflow. The road from Pana (Panajachel) to Solola is cut in many places so Pana is completely in communicado. Yesterday were evacuated more than 5,000 people from Pana. The area where the Atitlan Hotel is, is overfloaded. The son of Vivamos Mejor´s accountant dead when the river destroyed his house. 5 people is reported dead.

In la Cuchilla, the crossroad to Quetzaltenango-Guatemala City-Solola, 15 houses were destroyed and the families dead.

Santa Catarina is 50% destroyed.

San Lucas. Ijatz: the center was completelly destroyed. The small restaurant attende by a group of women, inside the center, and the Ijatz offices didn´t support the water and collapsed. all the people living near of ijatz center were evacuated.

Nobody can enter to the area since all roads going From Guate (Guatemala City) to Atitlan-Solola are destroyed. The governement has declared a National emergency.

The majority of the harvests in the coast and in the higlands dissapeared. We had in the final stage of harvesting so I believe there will be a big problem with corn and other vegetables.

The weather situation is changing wishing that rains finish in 24-36 hours.

The plan that the local org and gov is following:

1. Put in safe place the families (evacuation)
2. re-establish communications (phones and roads)
3. Food and water to locals people.

I am in communication with our friends there and looking for our best support. We are in commmunitation with other organizations better prepared on this kind of problems waiting for their request of support.

MITCH LESSONS

Again, and taking Mitch´ lessons, this phenomenon is showing us the ecologic vulnerability of the region linked with the economic injustice, as one of the more important problems unsolved in these societies.

Any suggestion, reccomendation is welcome.

Our direct contact there is Rainiero: 502 5208 6904



Also Oct 6

Dear friends

Along the country 232 people are dead (confirmed). Many are dissapeared. The national telephone system is not working well.

ATITLAN

According the last news, Atitlan continues uncommunicated. In Santiago Atitlan two villages were completely wiped out and 600 people dissapeared. Only 47 bodies have been found. In Panajachel 200 houses were completely destroyed.


I don´t have more news from San Lucas. A radio station trasmited the news that San Marcos la Laguna is completelly flodded.

The support chain from Solola to Santiago was broken due to the increment of the rains in the last hours.


Oct 7

Dear friends

These are some pictures sent by Rainiero from Atitlan lake. Just from Panajachel. (see attachments)

The roads still are blocked. There are problems with access to food, clothing and medicine which are the priorities right now. There are open some points to give donations in money or products in the capital city. the problem is that there is no access by road. The gov is using hellicopters to translate some basic needs.

To all our friends:

As World Neighbors, we are a long-term development NGO so our strengths are not in this kind of disaster relief and rehabilitation efforts. But in this specific circumstance, and taking in account that our partners are direct involved on this sittuation, we have decided to respond working in partnership with the local community based organizations we have worked for the last years.

Our objective is supporting the initiatives to addressing the inmediate crisis in a way that returns as quickly as possible towards a longer- term development process.

Our plan is to contribute to collect financial support in the way to traslate it to the community based organizations we are working in the area and use it to alleviate this crisis. furthermore, we will translate one of our current health team working in Polochic to Atitlan when they can access the place, including medicine and the material and basic equipment they need.



If some of you want to send some support to the people, you can use our way. Please contact us.

Elmer

tel/fax 502 2474 0329



Oct 8


Dear Friends

The newspapers reported today that there are confirmed 250 people dead in the country. There is no food, medicine, and clothing in many small communities and it´s still impossible to access many of them including by aereal transport.

Today, the radio stations reported that In Tacana, a community in the border with Mexico, 110 people dead due to an mudslide.

The main cities in the Western Highlands are still isolated from the capital city (Quetzaltenango, Coatepeque, Retalhuleu, Mazatenango). (We have colleagues in Coatepeque that we have not heard from and with whom we are planning a teacher training workshop in January)

ATITLAN

In Santiago Atitlan, it is confirmed that the village called Panabaj dissapeared forever. 250 houses are 5 meters under land due to a mudslide and only 147 dead bodies have been rescued. The local authorities says that about 1000 dead people are there. According to Rainiero, 15 people members of AMSI (AMSI is an Ecoapocs members) dead.


Today the raining is diminishing. The road From Guatemala City to Solola is already open. From Solola to Panajachel is still impossible to travel by car due to the two bridges in that road collapsed. About 400 tourists were evacuated today from Panajachel.


Medicine, food and clothing is arriving to Solola (base to distribute to the other places around the Atitlan Lake) and if weather conditions permit, tomorrow (Sunday) will be the first planned day to start the distribution. I am crossing the fingers since while I am writing this message the rain is becoming stronger again. There has been a good coordination with NGOs, Local government and citizen to be prepared to launch the plan to reach Santiago Atitlan tomorrow.

I had a conversation today with the viceminister of agriculture who is organizing the food and agriculture recovery strategy for the country. He explained me the strategy they will follow up in the short term:



1. To give food to the people.
2. To control (fire or bury) all the dead animals.
3. To restablish the access to clean water.
4. to give a small stock of animals (mainly chicken called bolsas pecuarias) to the people.

My understanding is that they don´t have the enough capacities to do it along the country. I hope they can coordinate and apply this strategy since they are really weak.

He is not clear about the real sittuation of the impact of this Hurricane in the agriculture but in a first version he says that this is the first time we have a disaster for the agriculture with this dramatic dimensions so it is very premature to say a data about the damages. They are doing an evaluation on this.

Today in the morning I went to the market. There are vegetables but the prices changed twice up in comparison with 8 days before:

Item...............Unit......................Price Oct 1st...........................price Oct 8th

Potatos...........Pound........................Q2.50................................Q6.00

Carrots............Dozen (12)...............Q5.00.................................Q12.00

Papaya...........Unit............................Q9.00.................................Q20.00

Corn .............. Pound ....................Q0.75.................................Q1.00

Tomatos........Pound......................Q2.50...................................Q4.00

Many of the vegetables consumed in the city comes from the country western side, where the hurricane hit. El Salvador buys much of the vegetables they consume from Guatemala so they will be affected with this problem too.



What we can do to help



I have just received information this morning (Sunday) on how we can help in Guatemala. Many of you may be thinking, I already gave money for tsunami relief, Hurricane Katrina, and then Hurricane Rita, and now I’m being asked to contribute in Guatemala! I know, you may be suffering from compassion fatigue. But please consider contributing to World Neighbors, an organization that is working on the ground in Guatemala. You can have confidence that the funds will go directly to support those in need, and not to support top-heavy administration or left unused. If you are not able to give, please forward this message so that others may have the opportunity. Thank you for reading this message and for your support.



INFORMATION ON MAKING A CONTRIBUTION IN SUPPORT OF WORLD NEIGHBORS PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS IN GUATEMALA:

Checks are payable to: World Neighbors
Mail to: World Neighbors, 4127 NW 122nd, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73120

Credit card (Visa and MasterCard) gifts can be made online at www.wn.org/donations.asp 24 hours a day, OR via telephone: 405-752-9700, ext. 238 during office hours (9 a.m. to 5 p.m., M-F)

samantha (at) respectnature.com