GUATEMALA – Panabaj is a community of around 75 families at the edge of Lake Atitlan. At least 40 of these families were affected when a mudslide completely buried their homes. Roads were blocked because of the mudslides and aid could not get into the community.

A volunteer team working together with Operation Blessing was able to fly a small plane into the cut-off village to bring help to the people in need. We were one of the first aid groups to reach these families due to the difficulty of flying over Lake Atitlan because of recent bad weather.

We provided 22 families with emergency relief aid, including packages of food and medicine.

In Amatitlán, a county just outside of Guatemala City, people were evacuated to a shelter due to flooding of the Río Michatoya. Operation Blessing worked together with volunteers from United Way and Sony Ericsson to distribute more than 400 packages that included basic items like food, hygiene kits and medicine to these families and the surrounding community.

Three communities in Usumatlán, Zacapa were also affected by the heavy rains. At least 450 people were evacuated on June 5 when two main rivers flooded from the constant rainfall in the area. OB went to one of the shelters where at least 100 people are staying. We were able to install a purifying system and give them safe, clean water to drink.

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala – Because of the Mt. Pacaya eruption on May 27 and Tropical Storm Agatha’s landfall only a few days later, many people in Guatemala are struggling. According to the national disaster authority, CONRED, 152,488 people have been affected and 142,959 people displaced. In several villages, houses were seriously damaged and there is little access to channels of communication.

One village is still flooded, including 3 banana farms where hundreds of workers lived. The workers can’t return to their homes because the river completely covered their houses with mud. Many crops have been damaged, including corn, beans, cacao, banana, plantains and palms (to make oil). Most farmers lost at least half of their cattle. Two nearby schools were also destroyed. Even in areas that were not completely devastated, electricity is irregular and the water has been contaminated.

With the collapse of El Rico’s Bridge, 60% of the population has been left without access to clean water, food or medicine and health issues are becoming a serious concern. Four nearby health centers lost all of their medicine in the floods and people are in need of help.

There are 16 pregnant women in need living in 6 different shelters. Many men, women and children are having skin problems and becoming sick. A number of people suffering from diabetes lost their medications when they had to evacuate.

We are coordinating our efforts with local pastors and churches, such as Hope of Life, to distribute food donations. The health centers are also supplying these churches with medicine for distribution. We’re also coordinating with the mayor of La Estación. Yesterday, the OB team and volunteers were working in multiple shelters and in 2 disaster zones.

The first shelter is located at a Catholic church and is housing 100 people. During the day only the children and a few mothers are there because the men are still trying to save some of their belongings from flooded homes. We delivered food, medicine, and hygiene products.

Next we went to a second shelter where 118 families are staying at a school and in surrounding houses. Most of these families are from the 3 banana farms. The situation was similar with the men back in the disaster zones trying to clean their homes. Many of the children talked about their experiences and how they only had bananas to eat and unclean water to drink. We provided the shelter with food, shoes and hygiene items.

Our last visit was to a neighborhood called La Estación. These families didn’t go to a shelter, so their children were playing in the mud or sleeping in what was left of their houses. We visited several different houses, providing families with food, sheets and other aid.

OBI’s National Director for Guatemala, Mario Bucaro, shares the latest updates and relief efforts from the ground in Guatemala City.

The national disaster authority CONRED has reported that there are 21,465 people at risk; 29,245 in shelters; and 111,964 people have been evacuated. A state of emergency has been declared; the International airport is closed; main highways have been affected by landslides and rivers overflowing their banks; power outages are affecting many areas; and more than 15 main bridges have been destroyed.

In order to assure a one-month food supply for victims staying at shelters, we stocked an emergency warehouse with water, food rations, clothes and medicine, and are partnering with CONRED to distribute the supplies.

Today we were able to visit shelters in Chispan, Estanzuela and Teculutan, 3 places that have been affected by the overflow of the Motagua River, and where more than 2,000 people are living in shelters.

Our team is moving tomorrow to the OB Zacapa office in order to set up an emergency warehouse to reach the victims in the eastern region of Guatemala.

Day 3:
There was a second explosion from the Pacaya volcano yesterday afternoon, causing more fear among many of the people currently in shelters. The OB Guatemala team spent yesterday and today helping affected families. Our OB doctor has been examining them, including many children, to make sure they do not have any injuries. We are also providing them with nutritional shakes, partnering with local churches, and bringing in a truckload of clothes and shoes for distribution.

To make the situation more difficult, we have been having heavy rains. The government has confirmed that Tropical Storm Agatha has hit land. We are going to stay in the disaster zone and continue serving these displaced families.

Day 2:
The OB Guatemala teams have arrived at the disaster zone surrounding the Pacaya Volcano and have made a primary evaluation—the situation is very critical. This morning we went to the shelters to establish their needs. We found that the rivers and streams are polluted due to the massive amount of ash that fell on the ground.

Even though there are 8 shelters already established, they aren’t enough for the more than 100 displaced families. The shelters don’t have bathrooms or showers available. There aren’t very many organizations and volunteers in the disaster zone right now due to the warning of a second eruption.

We have already established a relief center at the National School near the volcano and are going to be providing water for this area. Water is very important for these families to survive, so we have coordinated efforts with our warehouse team and they are on their way to the shelter with 2,000 bottles of water. We are also working together with the army, national police and government organizations to obtain better results.

Day 1:
On the evening of May 27, Mt. Pacaya erupted, spewing forth a fountain of lava that reached a height of around 1 km, with an ash cloud reaching up to 4 km into the sky and began drifting northwest toward the capital.

At least 3 people were killed in the eruption. According to newspapers, at least 9 children were missing and more than 20 people injured. Thousands fled from their homes or were evacuated and many buildings were damaged.

The significant ash falling from the eruption caused traffic chaos in Guatemala City and closed the international airport. The intensity of the explosions declined later in the evening, but we are being warned that new violent phases could follow.

We are ready to assist the hundreds of homeless people living in the shelters that have been set up. Two OB Guatemala relief teams are en route to the disaster area to evaluate the most pressing needs.

TALCAHUANO, Chile – Talcahuano was hurt badly by the tsunami that hit Chile’s coast. The naval port was completely swept away and the water system collapsed. Those who lost their homes are being housed in schools and the Chilean government is helping to take care of their needs as well as providing water in the city.

But all the supermarkets are closed. Curfew is enforced from 6 p.m. to 12 p.m.; movements are restricted. Sometimes it looks like a ghost town here. Most of the people whose houses were flooded have left the city to live with their extended families. But embedded in the communities are pockets of very poor families who remain unnoticed and have nowhere else to go.

We met one of those families whose home had been destroyed. When the tsunami hit, they had escaped to a nearby hill for safety. But everything in their house was floating in water.

When they returned two days later, they found their house filled with mud. Everything was destroyed. There was no room to sleep, there was no food, and it was miserable.

They all began working together to remove the mud. The wooden floor was rotting, so they removed it. The beds and furniture had to be thrown away. All that remained were cooking pots and pans. Knowing their condition, their church provided some clothes and food, but when we met them they had nothing. Their neighbors have not returned; they have moved to other cities to live with family. But these children have no other place to go.

When a local pastor and I arrived to their home, the mother was in tears. She had no words to express her loss. The house was a mess and had a strong odor. These children and four adults were cramped in one home. There were no smiles, no hope, and no food for the day.

We brought in packages of food, which would last them for two weeks. The mother gave me a hug and said, “May God bless you.” Finally, they were able to smile and some hope returned. For the next hour the pastor and members of the church spent time encouraging the family. And the children were even smiling as I took their pictures.

In all, 250 needy families received food packages consisting of rice, flour, sugar, oil, milk powder, and pasta. Five churches with volunteers visited the homes, gave them food and encouraged the families. For these families, it was hope and help they so desperately needed.

SAN VICENTE, El Salvador- We arrived to the center of San Vicente where donations were being brought in from several organizations and dozens of El Salvadorians were working hard to bring relief to their fellow victims.

Trucks carrying huge 100 lb. sacks of rice, crates of eggs and fruits, branches full of plantains and other relief goods arrived into the devastated area and began unloading the supplies at a local catholic church. From there, women and children sorted through the donations and began packaging the relief items into black plastic bags for distribution. Six coffins also sat at the entrance of the church.

Cristina, the church administrator, told us that she is working hard to take care of her people. She escaped from her house with only the clothes on her back before a mudslide buried her home.

“The only thing that keeps me going and not crying is the chance I have to serve others,” she told me.

Hundreds of people were roaming the street, now without homes or possessions. It seems there is complete confusion and desperation.

Despite the fact that trucks have already cleared more than 22 tons of mud, dirt and debris from the village, huge rocks and piles of mud still fill the streets as a result of the rain that swept through this village and triggered massive landslides.

Those who were lucky enough to have their houses still standing watched the relief efforts from their porches or roof tops.

We sensed a “heaviness” in the air that left us wondering how many lives had been lost and how many thousands of men, women and children no longer have a place to live–families who do not know when they will be able to go “home” again.

Teams with Operation Blessing El Salvador brought 183 (5 gallon) buckets of dried fruit to help supplement the food donations. We have also coordinated with local authorities to set up a medical campaign at the two relief shelters here.

Tomorrow, we will bring Mayo Clinic doctors as well as local doctors to assist these victims. 

As we were leaving we noticed a family digging mud out of their home with a shovel. Erlinda, age 66, cried as she told us how she heard the rocks and mud crashing down on their home and buried the patio area beneath more than 6 feet of mud and debris.

“God saved me three times,” she told me. “First from the war, then the earthquake in 2001 and now, these landslides.”

She asked if we would return and I assured her that tomorrow we would return with doctors from abroad to help her and the El Salvadorian people.

BEAUMONT, Texas – On Sunday, our motor convoy of disaster relief staff, mobile command center, mobile kitchen, 20-ton crane, skid steer loader, construction trailer and truckloads of roofing supplies, food, water and relief supplies, left the staging area near Dallas at 5:30 a.m. for what should have been a 5 hour drive to Beaumont, Texas.

Because of heavy traffic and fuel shortage, the trip to Beaumont took 9.5 hours.

Our team arrived at Beaumont’s Cathedral in the Pines Church around 3:30 p.m. Sunday and began to set up a command center and volunteer headquarters that will serve the local area as well as hard hit areas around Orange, Texas. Our primary mission is to house, feed and coordinate volunteer teams much the same as we did in Slidell following Hurricane Katrina. Later this week we will be sending volunteer teams out to repair roofs, clear debris and help in a variety of ways as directed by local emergency management.

We are not ready to accommodate volunteers yet, but encourage those interested in volunteering to call 757-374-0944 (9 a.m.- 5 p.m.)

Right now, there is no power in Beaumont or much of the stricken area. We have brought our own diesel generators as well as satellite communication and internet equipment.

Our U.S. Director of Disaster Relief, Jody Herrington, visited the State of Texas Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Austin twice during the days prior to storm’s arrival and is in continuous communication with officials there.

Late yesterday, Texas State officials requested that OBI set up a mobile kitchen in Beaumont and feed “first responders” beginning Tuesday afternoon. OBI will partner with Mercy Chefs and feed hot meals to National Guard, Texas Rangers, Wildlife and Fisheries personnel, and local police as well as Operation Blessing staff and volunteers.

Today, three additional tractor-trailer trucks will arrive to Beaumont with more food, relief supplies, tools and equipment to facilitate our volunteer crews.

Jody is in touch with several pastors in Beaumont, Orange and Bridge City and continues to assess needs in those three areas.

Our greatest need is cash donations to help us continue financing our relief efforts and reach as many victims as possible with relief and recovery.

In addition to the U.S. Gulf Coast, OBI is also providing relief to hurricane-devastated Haiti. Operation Blessing is providing a 10,000 gallon-per-day water purification system which is being flown by our partner DHL and will arrive in Haiti tomorrow. Already our teams have coordinated with OBI’s German partner, Humedica, to supply emergency food and medical care to desperate hurricane victims.

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras – It’s hard to imagine that a bump to the elbow could land you in the hospital – but such was the case for 11-year-old Eric Vargas of Honduras.

Like many young boys his age, Eric loves to play. But things turned serious when he ran into a doorway inside his house. Immediately, his elbow began to swell and without hesitation, his mother Ebony rushed him to Hospital Escuela, the largest public hospital in all of Honduras that treats an estimated 40-60,000 patients each month.

Eric is a hemophiliac, so any minor injury can become life-threatening in a moment’s notice. Fortunately, when he and his mother arrived to the hospital, there was medicine available.

For the past four months, the hospital has been without Factor VIII, the most common medicine to treat hemophilia, an inherited disorder in which one of the proteins needed to form blood clots is missing. Factor VIII provides hemophiliacs with the necessary protein, and depending on the individual case, some hemophiliacs require several doses a month – others, several doses a day.

Operation Blessing was alerted to the need by the First Lady of Honduras and quickly contacted partner, MAP International, who was able to secure a donation of 700 doses of the Factor VIII medicine from Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, worth approximately $250,000.

The shipment of medication, which required strict temperature controls, was then rushed by global delivery giant, DHL, from the U.S. at no cost and arrived in-country within 48 hours for distribution to patients.

“This medicine literally saved lives,” Dr. Etna Yaneth told our team. Dr. Yaneth is the head of the department of pharmacy at the hospital and keeps detailed records of each person who receives the medicine.

She escorted our team to see another hemophiliac patient waiting in the emergency room. The 57-year-old man had a massive hematoma in his leg and had traveled six hours by car to reach the hospital.

“If we had not had the medicine, this man surely would have died,” Dr. Yaneth said.

Thanks to the donation from Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, and the partnership with MAP International and DHL, the 700 doses of Factor VIII are now helping to treat 200 patients in Honduras.

While waiting for the DHL flight to arrive with our shipment of water purification systems, Dorca, a DHL representative, read me the day’s newspaper report: 1,500 acres of crops, bananas, rice and corn worth $6.5 million had been destroyed. People have left their homes for temporary shelters in fear of snakes and electrical poles falling into the water. In many places, there are no drainage systems and the wells have become contaminated leaving residents without a supply of clean water.

It was one thing to hear about it in an article, but another thing to see it for myself. We ran over a snake as we drove to Baba, a town with a population of 4,000. The roads were flooded and homes still under water. Crops were destroyed.

My translator Nicholas and I talked about the loss of income for these families. Nicholas has a banana farm and he mentioned that when a banana plantation is destroyed, not only does it impact the owner, but also the hundreds of workers employed. An average farmer earns about $200 a month. When that income is not there, there is no food for the family. It will take a while before one can plant a new crop and see the harvest.

Water is another problem. The residents have access to well water, but it is not potable due to contamination by the floodwaters. Water has to be boiled or purchased. To help the residents, we (OBI) teamed up with Water Missions International to purchase two water purification systems and our partner DHL provided free shipping and local employee volunteers to oversee the delivery and set-up of the systems. Each system can purify up to 10,000 gallons of clean drinking water a day for these flood victims.

While surveying a place for one of the water systems, I talked with a few ladies who were selling small packets of water. “No one in my home is working because the crops are destroyed, and it cost my family $3 to purchase drinking water every week,” Abigail told me. “When my children get sick from drinking the well water, it sometimes costs me $40 to purchase medicine. My husband brings home about $200 a month. How can we survive?”

We found a place for the first system at Baba hospital, where we met Dr. Elida who is the director. She not only takes care of patients but also the needs of the community. Before taking the job as director of the hospital, she had been a consultant for DHL. When she heard about the water systems from her DHL friends, she was very excited and wanted to see if one of the units could be placed in her hospital to provide clean drinking water for her patients and the community.

“I have been traveling between Baba and Guayaquil for a number of years and I have never seen such a flood,” Dr. Elida told me. “I used to see rice fields and banana plantations. Today both sides of the road are like a sea. It is a disaster that has crippled the lives of my patients and friends.”

“Since taking the responsibilities of this hospital, I have asked the local authorities to put in a water system because there were about 1,700 cases related to contaminated water, but there was no response. The authorities seem busy beautifying the sidewalk rather than taking care of the people’s health.”

After we installed the water system at the hospital, Dr. Elida was the first one to drink the water. “Finally my dream has come true,” she said.

The heavy rains certainly brought lots of calamity to the people in Baba, many of whom have been using their savings to purchase medicine and water. With the water systems, however, they can rest assured that their health will improve and productivity will increase.

“You have no clue how much you are going to impact our people, lives will be saved and the people will have strength to earn more for their families. The hospital too will have good water for the patients. Thank you,” said Dr. Elida.

I can’t get online this morning here at the hotel. I called the front desk and the man said, “Sorry, the internet is down.”

Today is a big day. We’re meeting the First Lady of Honduras and an array of media, government, medical, education and church leaders in a gala celebration marking the launch of Operation Blessing’s nationwide anti-parasite campaign. I prefer to call these programs “worm busters,” but that name doesn’t translate into Spanish with gravitas sufficient to portray the program’s life-changing significance.

Today’s ceremony, to be held at the John F. Kennedy School in Tegucigalpa’s inner city, will involve 100 third and fourth grade students, but starting next week, the program will launch in far-flung areas ranging from the jungles of the mosquito coast to remote villages in the volcanic mountains.

Children infested with worms are always hungry (the parasites consume 25 percent of a child’s food intake), are often sick, miss lots of school and suffer in terrible ways ranging from non-stop belly aches to stunted growth, chronic disease and muddled minds. With a pill costing less than a nickel, and some very basic hygiene training-we can change all that.

Today marks the beginning of a new life for countless Honduran children… and the end of life for millions of intestinal parasites.