Estafana Jochola
Xeatzan Alto, Patzun
My name is Estefana Jochola. I am 50 years old and have five children. I was born in Xeatzan Alto in Patzun. Natural disasters are becoming common in the area where we live. Beginning in 1998 with Hurricane Mitch, we have had many problems.
There was Hurricane Stan in 2005, Hurricane Agatha and Tropical Depression 11E last year, and Tropical Depression 12E a few weeks ago, all of them causing great damage to our community. We were still recovering from last year and now this year it happened again. We have lost our corn, beans and sweet pea crops. We rent our land, so now we are very worried because we have to pay the rent and have no money or food.
What happened to us is very sad. We lost one of our bedrooms. It was made of adobe and the rain and humidity caused it to collapse. (Photo on right.) Fortunately, our children were not inside when this happened.
Another problem now is that my husband lost his job. He works as a day laborer at local farms, but with the destruction of the crops, he is no longer needed. I normally help with the home expenses by weaving huipeles and selling them, but with the crop loss, no one has much income so they cannot afford to buy clothes. The situation is the same for most of my neighbors. They, too, have lost their crops, food and jobs for the last two years. I don't know what we are suppose to do.
