State of Calamity

This rainy season was my first experience with a tropical depression (Tropical Depression 12-E to be exact). My understanding is that this is similar to a tropical storm, except it moves very, very slowly. It started raining in Guatemala on a Tuesday and we didn't the sun again until the following Thursday. It has already been raining here daily since late April, so with ground already very saturated, there was nowhere for all of this new water to go. The tropical depression caused many, many problems, especially in the more rural parts of Guatemala. Here is a picture of some of the flooding that has been occurring:The pictures and videos shown on the news here showing the destruction caused my the floods, landslides, and collapsing roads have been incredibly powerful. The infrastructure of many of the highways and buildings are not prepared for this kind of natural event, and they could not withstand the constant rain. Many people in Guatemala lost everything. Even in my area of the city there were landslides that closed roads for a day or two. Many students could not get to school and bus routes were canceled. Sadly, some of the most hard-hit areas are also areas where there was destruction from an earthquake recently. It will be along time before some of the highways are reopened and people are able to move about. The president declared a "State of Calamity" in the country (at least that is how it is translated).

Some of the parents from my school belong to the AeroClub of Guatemala (because they own planes and helicopters lol!). The AeroClub organized a great relief effort. We had Thursday and Friday this week off school due to the weather and a holiday, and I got to go volunteer with other teachers and students helping to make relief bags, organize donated clothing, and unload trucks of water that were being delivered. These were then loaded onto planes and helicopters and flown into areas where the roads were impassable and no other relief could be given. I really enjoyed getting to spend time working with this effort. It is always so tragic to see natural disasters affect places and people that you love, but at least this time I was able to offer some sort of immediate support unlike after the tornado in Tuscaloosa last April. Here is a picture of some of the teachers who volunteered:

This weekend we also celebrated Halloween with the CAG community! I dressed up as a Beanie Baby (Blackie the Bear). Next weekend we have another 4-day weekend, and many people will hopefully be traveling. I am looking forward to exploring the area of Alta Verapaz with a visit to Coban and Semuc Champey next weekend!