Hardships loom as families lose homes, crops
June 8 update:
Unbound staff members in Guatemala are continuing their efforts to confirm the safety of families who live in an area included in the immediate disaster zone of the volcanic eruption and are served through our Hermano Pedro ECA program. As of June 7, efforts to communicate with nine families of our sponsored friends in the area have been unsuccessful. Additional volcanic activity and rain are complicating search-and-rescue efforts, but Unbound staff are on site providing direct support to displaced families, and more have joined from other regions of Guatemala to assist. Other areas where Unbound sponsored members reside are located outside of the immediate disaster zone, but have been seriously impacted by ash and debris, causing significant damage to homes and crops. Unbound supports more than 68,000 children, youth and elders in Guatemala. Read more about the current and long-term challenges many families around the region face here.
IF YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT YOUR SPONSORED FRIEND
- Unbound notifies sponsors personally if we learn that their sponsored friends have been injured or otherwise seriously impacted.
- Make sure your contact information is up to date by logging in to your account.
- Please be patient as local Unbound staff work to confirm families’ safety.
- Continue following this blog post or our Facebook page for additional updates.
The ash plume from Guatemala’s Fuego volcano as seen by local Unbound staff.
Updated June 6, 2018
In the aftermath of Sunday’s eruption of the Fuego volcano in south-central Guatemala, Unbound staff members are continuing their efforts to contact sponsored persons and their families in the area. Unbound has identified 16 families who live in areas immediately impacted by the eruption. All are from the Unbound Hermano Pedro ECA program. It is possible that families in other local programs have also been affected, but these are the only ones we know about at this time.
Oscar Tuch, communications liaison in Guatemala, reports that the affected families live in three villages within the area most immediately impacted by Sunday’s eruption. In times of natural disaster, Unbound notifies sponsors personally if we learn that their sponsored friends have been injured or otherwise seriously impacted, and we will be contacting the sponsors of those families directly.
Unbound communities affected
“The situation has been complicated due to the great magnitude of the disaster,” Tuch said. “In the department (state) of Escuintla we provide attention to three communities, specifically La Trinidad, Don Pancho and Aldea El Rodeo.”
Unbound staff in Guatemala clean up ash after the Fuego volcano erupted.
The village of El Rodeo was especially hard hit by the rapidly flowing lava and ash. Unbound staff members have been able to verify that some sponsored individuals and their families were evacuated to shelters and one is staying with relatives and receiving aid from Unbound, but as of this writing staff have been unable to contact the remaining families.
“The situation is an active rescue operation in which the first responders and Guatemalan army are participating,” Unbound international programs staff member Nelson Vowels said. “They have purposely limited access to the area while they search for survivors. In due time, the team will have details about individual families and to what degree they are affected.”
Future impact
Far beyond the area of immediate impact, many people, including members of the Unbound community, have lost crops as a result of the falling ash.
“It’s probably safe to assume that this is the case for anyone sponsored through (Unbound’s local program) based out of Antigua,” Vowels said.
Since other Central and South American countries buy produce from Guatemala, the long-term consequences of the volcano erupting may be severe, Tuch said.
“It really is so hard and so painful to have to live and face this reality,” he said. “This is just the beginning of the tragedy because after this storm we for sure will face a nutritional crisis due to the lost crops, the reconstruction of the communities and the restoration of the families that have been separated.”
According to CNN, at least 69 persons have been reported dead so far as a result of the volcano, but with rescue workers hampered by the intense conditions, it’s likely that number will rise in the coming days.
What you can do
- Donate to Disaster Response. Unbound’s Disaster Response fund provides assistance to families in the aftermath of events like the eruption of the Fuego volcano.
- Make sure your contact information is up to date. In times of natural disaster, Unbound notifies sponsors personally if we learn that their sponsored friends have been injured or otherwise seriously impacted, so keeping your information up to date is important.
- Pray. The Unbound community holds all those affected and those assisting with rescue efforts in our thoughts and prayers.
- Check here for updates. We’ll continue to update this story as we receive additional information.
