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.

Tags: CONRED, Disaster Relief, El Rico's Bridge, Food Distribution, Guatemala, Guatemala City, Hope of Life, La Estación, Latin America, Medical Aid, Medical Supplies, Mt. Pacaya, OBI, Operation Blessing, Relief Aid, Relief Supplies, Tropical Storm Agatha, Volcano Eruption

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