Mudslide in
Guatemala: Natural or Man-made Disaster?
When the rains returned to Guatemala this year, after
taking a year’s leave of absence, they arrived with a vengeance. On Thursday
evening, September 12th, at approximately 9:00 p.m., a mudslide hit
the rain-soaked community of El Porvenir. 40 homes were destroyed, 35 people
were killed, and about 250 were left homeless. In addition to the mud, the
community, perched on the side of the dormant volcano Tolimán, faced an
onslaught of rocks, boulders, and trees. Observers reported boulders as large as
15 feet across. The injured and the dead were violently tossed about, with some
turning up the next day several miles away in a river.
This had been a community
anticipating a bright future. The name itself, El Porvenir, means “the
future,” in Spanish. With assistance from the Catholic parish of nearby San
Lucas Tolimán and funding from a Belgium development foundation, 76 families
had purchased their former employer’s coffee plantation in March 2001. In
typical colonial tradition, the families—all Cakchiquel Mayans—had lived on
the plantation as a permanent work force, like medieval serfs. They were
provided tiny wooden huts for their residences, access to a mountain stream, and
a minimum wage of about $2.80 per day, in exchange for year-round work on the patrón’s
coffee fields. But the property belonged to them now. It represented their
future.
I accompanied a parish committee to El Porvenir in August 2001. A
bone-jarring truck ride up the side of volcano Tolimán delivered us to a
community gathering of high expectations. The discussion dealt with basics. The
people didn’t understand things like how to conduct a meeting or vote. They
were unsure how to organize themselves to petition the government for access to
improved roads, sanitation, or water. They had inherited worn out coffee trees
and barren fields, and were thus concerned about basic survival issues. They
worried whether the parish in San Lucas would continue to assist them with
health care and education, things the patrón should have provided but
did not. Such concerns were understandable given that all their lives they had
been told what to do and when to do it.
Against small odds of success, the families of El Porvenir made great headway in the process of community building. They formed men’s and women’s committees to address community needs. Corn and bean fields were planted, housing was improved, long-neglected coffee trees were tended, new export-quality coffee trees were planted, and an additional teacher was hired. According to Father Greg Schaffer, a priest from San Lucas, the intangible progress was equally important—acquiring a sense of independence and responsibility.
But then the rains of September 12 came and wiped out the gains of a year
of hard work. Hindsight suggests, though, that this disaster didn’t have to
happen. Natural causes certainly contributed, but human ignorance, indifference,
and greed were at work, as well. Though illegal, burning is the quickest way to
clear a field for planting. Apparently, a number of fires above El Porvenir got
out of hand, due in part to last year’s drought, destroying the ground cover
that might have otherwise absorbed this year’s heavy rains. There is also
evidence that the former owner, after the sale of the property, cut and
sold hundreds of trees located above the home sites. This created a direct path
the mud could take toward the homes. And, as is always the case when disaster
strikes, it hits hardest those who are most vulnerable. The wooden shacks had
not been built with the safety of their residents in mind. There were no
concrete foundations offering structural integrity, so the homes were simply
swept away like matchsticks.
The losses sustained that evening
were devastating, and the suffering will be long term. The immediate crisis was
partly blunted, though, by an outpouring of help. People flocked from nearby
communities to offer assistance. The mayor’s office in San Lucas received
contributions of blankets, sacks of beans or corn—whatever people could
manage—to provide relief. The parish relocated those who lost their homes into
church property in San Lucas, and helped bury the dead. Government officials,
emergency disaster teams, firemen, and even the military offered
assistance—evidence of a new spirit of cooperation. In the past, an event like
this—happening to indigenous people in the highlands—would have gone ignored
by the government.
There is much work ahead for this
community. The government declared their property a high-risk area, precluding
immediate rebuilding. A neighboring plantation owner offered the families a
deal: He would provide them a plot of land for home construction in exchange for
their prime coffee lands and a water source. The community felt they were being
taken advantage of under the circumstances. Giving up the coffee land and water
source would be giving away their future prosperity. So they declined his offer.
Father Greg felt that this decision exhibited evidence of their growing
independence and maturity as a community. Interestingly, just a few days ago, in
the face of strong resentment, the owner decided to allow the families to rent
some abandoned shacks on his property, with no apparent strings attached.
Once the families are housed in
temporary quarters, the next task is to address the problem of deforestation on
the volcano. Fortunately, there is a parish-sponsored reforestation program in
San Lucas. Money, labor, and time are needed to begin replanting trees and
adding natural fire-breaks. Plans are already being discussed. Once the
reforestation is completed, the rebuilding of the community can proceed.
This setback for the families of El Porvenir is not insurmountable. They remain hopeful as well as appreciative of support and prayers. If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution, please send it to the San Lucas Mission Office, 1400 6th St. North, New Ulm, MN 56073-2099. (Ph.# 507-359-2966). Make the check payable to: San Lucas Mission, and note that you wish the funds used for El Porvenir disaster relief.
John Abell