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Copyright� 1999-2005 Comunit� di Sant'Egidio |
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13th October 2005
In El Salvador and in Guatemala, at the side of the flood victims
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Images have been hitting our screens these days of the eruption of the Santa Ana volcano and the subsequent flooding which is holding areas of central America in its thrall, particularly Guatemala and El Salvador.
This time of year has always been marked in these countries by heavy rainstorms typical of the tropics, although, as we are all by now aware, recent years have seen the climate taking on a new, more sinister face.
Violent hurricanes have blasted away roads and homes, leaving other infrastructure in disrepair. In no way can these countries be considered remotely ready to deal with such national emergencies - let's not forget Hurricane Mitch in 1999, and the 2001 earthquake - yet they are now subject to one disaster after another. The majority of the population lives in "high risk" areas near the coast or by water courses void of protective banking, often in improvised houses constructed with little thought for planning or safety regulations. Entire city suburbs are built on steep-sided ravines where you pick your way down to a river that has become a gulley choked with refuse. |
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In one development, El Chingo, near San Salvador, the inhabitants have been forced to leave their homes: too near the sea and swamped by flood waters. They've made their way to drier land, but are stranded without any support whatsoever: not even anything to eat. The Community of Sant'Egidio in San Salvador has stepped in here to provide them with food. In the photos you can see various stages of an operation in which a month's supply of basic foodstuffs (rice, beans, sugar, oil) is being distributed. This should cover a family's needs until the men are able to resume their fishing. |
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In addition, several truckloads of clothing, blankets and food have been despatched to the Juayua region, also severely affected. Many refugees, fleeing the countryside without any means for their own support, continue to arrive in Guatemala City. Each night the Community of Sant'Egidio takes out blankets and hot drinks for those out without shelter. Meanwhile we are collecting aid ready to take to the worst-affected areas, once the roads are passable again and contact re-established.
The situation in the rural areas of Guatemala is very critical. Whole villages are underwater: Santiago di Atitlan being one example. Communications are down in the affected areas: there's no telephone and the roads are flooded. The Communities of Sant’Egidio in El Salvador, some of which are made up of young people who themselves come from rural areas, are mobilising themselves to deliver emergency aid to the border zones. As our experience in other such situations has taught us, the presence of local Communities is of vital help in the task of identifying those areas where need is most urgent, as well as in finding ways and means for reaching the most out-of the-way, or neglected, places. |
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