Check this page frequently as we will update information as we can.
June 19,2010
Thanks to the generosity of our friends, we are able to help repair water systems and other damage from Agatha to 6 or 7 communities in the municipality San Martin Jilotepeque. This is in addition to our partnership with Oxfam to help several villages in the municipality of Patzun. Our staff in Guatemala will be sending photos and short reports on these repairs. Stay tuned!
June 15, 2010
Thanks to everyone who donated funds to help rural families recover from this storm. So far, we have received $8,000 which will go a long way in this poor country, but more funding is needed. Staff is already using these funds to help people and will send photos with brief descriptions of the emergency assistance they are providing. Staff tells me that it has been raining almost every day and some of the rural roads are in very rough shape making traveling to some remote villages a little dicey. Stay tuned!
Susan Slater
US Coordinator
June 10, 2010
Our staff learned a proposal written with Oxfam GB has been funded by the European Commission to provide emergency assistance in Guatemala.Within hours after the storm hit, staff was in the field assessing damage and able to join Oxfam in developing the proposal. Funding of this proposal reflects the extensive experience of the staff working in villages in the municipality of Patzun. It will support work in partnership with Oxfam to repair water systems, replace latrines and provide other emergency assistance to six communities affected by tropical storm Agatha.
Staff has gotten more information from villages in the municipality of San Martin Jilotepeque and there are 11 water systems that are damaged.Most of them will only need a few new pipes replaced and some are already repaired.They are still assessing damage in other communities in Patzun and San Martin Jilotepeque and we need your help to provide emergency assistance in other communities. You can help by making a donation.Just click here to go our web site or to get information to mail a check.
June 3, 2010
Dust has replaced mud on some streets as dry conditions continue. Rivers have receded, with residual garbage providing one marker of the height and width to which rivers gushed beyond their banks. Assessment data continues to be generated, including estimates that between 300 and 400 bridges have collapsed, 497 schools have been damaged, and 107 municipalities have been significantly affected by Agatha. There is also more information about the extent of the damage caused by the eruption of Pacaya last Thursday – a disaster that was almost immediately overshadowed by Agatha. People from numerous communities were evacuated as the volcano erupted. The number of homes and fields now covered with lava are still being counted.
As I wrote yesterday, people are working in many ways as individuals and collectively to support communities most affected by the devastation. Headlines in today’s Prensa Libre read “Solidarity of Neighbors Support Victims” and news stories provide examples of altruism. Bottom line: Short-term humanitarian aid is being provided, with more needed, and longer-term support will be essential to supplement the current efforts.
Tomorrow BPD board members and staff will be visiting two villages in the Department of San Martin Jilotepeque for another first-hand look at conditions – successes and needs – for community development projects and processes supported by BPD and our generous donors.
Narra
June 2, 2010
The weather remained mostly sunny today which is helpful as communities continue to dry out from Agatha, assess damage, care for individuals in need of food, shelter, water and other necessities, and continue clean-up efforts. Newspapers are reporting that 156 people have died, 103 are missing, almost 180,000 are homeless as a result of the storm and 32,000 additional homes have been damaged. Preliminary data estimate that 10% of the country’s agricultural production has been lost; I haven’t yet seen estimates of the economic impact on tourism and other sectors. International aid is arriving to address some of the short-term needs.
Against such a backdrop there are lots of images and stories that show the incredible strength and commitment of people working together to get through this difficult time. For example,
Today’s Prensa Libre newspaper told of community members sharing their scare resources, including food and water, with other residents who were lined up and awaiting humanitarian assistance that had not yet arrived.
An indigenous woman I spoke with in the market told of the many losses -- lives, homes, and crops -- in the community in which her sister lives yet she expressed deep gratitude the losses were not greater.
This afternoon I saw a group of 5 young people (3 Europeans, a Canadian, and a young person from the US) all covered in mud from head to toe. It turns out they had all been staying at a youth hostel and decided to help residents in an outlying community dig out from the mudslides and flooding. The young people had been digging most of the day. I suspect they cleaned up a bit this evening, are getting some rest, and will be back at it tomorrow.
It is the strength of individuals, families, and communities, as well acts of generosity and kindness that are helping Guatemalans in this early period of recovery.
Narra
June 1, 2010
BPD friends,
Susan Slater and I are in Antigua where it was mostly sunny today, helping immeasurably as communities continue to cope with the aftermath of Agatha. Reports continue to come in about the extent of the devastation. Limited communication has hampered the information flow, but today newspapers are reporting more information and our staff was able to get to more of our communities to assess the damage related to mudslides, sinkholes and flooding. It now seems that most of the devastation has occurred in Guatemala City, around Lake Atitlan, and in Chimaltenango, the region in which we work. Today’s newspapers are reporting at least 200 deaths in the country attributable to Agatha, with other people still missing. There are reports of 50 deaths in Chimaltenango, and especially the Patzun area, including a child in one of the villages in which BPD works.
Today the BPD staff was in Patzun today assessing the damage. Transportation to some of the communities is extremely limited because bridges and roads have been damaged or destroyed. There is significant damage to the corn crops. Some community water systems have broken (although fortunately none built by BPD seem to have been significantly damaged). Community leaders are already beginning to see an increase in gastrointestinal illnesses, especially among children.
Resiliency continues to be the word that comes to my mind in describing ABPD staff and so many Guatemalans. People are working together to provide humanitarian assistance as the assessment process continues. If you would like to help BPD at this time please click here or send your donation to Behrhorst Partners for Development, 2411 S. Superior, Milwaukee, WI 53207.
Thanks for your interest and support.
Narra Smith Cox,
BPD Board President
June 1, 2010 - Here is a link to a site that has slide show with photos of the conditions in Patzun. It is updated by the government daily, but is in Spanish.
June 1, 2010 - Guatemala is coping with 2 recent natural disasters. On Friday, May 28th, the volcano Pacaya erupted and covered much of Guatemala City with up to 3 inches of volcanic grit and ash. On Saturday, May 29, tropical storm Agatha hit hard dumping the region with lots of rain and wind. The combination has resulted in flooding and mudslides in the areas in which BPD is working. Susan Slater, BPD Coordinator and I arrived in Guatemala on Friday night and have been in communication with Paco Enriquez, ABPD Executive Director and Marily Giron, ABPD Administrator. Here’s what we know:
Some of the BPD communities, including La Pila, are inaccessible at this time because of mudslides in the area.
A Strong Family Center in Xetzitzi is serving as a shelter for at least 4 families that had to evacuate their homes.
The water system in La Vega has been destroyed.
Homes have been destroyed in Mocolic Xot Alto, although we understand the family members were not hurt.
All ABPD staff are accounted for and safe although the condition of some of the roads will make it very difficult, if not impossible, for some staff to get to the ABPD office on Monday.
We are still waiting to hear from other communities and we expect to learn more once staff is able to get in touch with people living in these remote villages.
Next steps:
ABPD staff will be assessing needs in the communities and working in partnership with community members and local government to assure access to water and shelter and provide other assistance the communities need.
Please help by sending a donation to:
Behrhorst Partners for Development
2411 S. Superior St.
Milwaukee, WI53207
Or, you can make a donation online by clicking on the “How to Help” page on this site.
