Hurricane Stan

In October of 2005, Hurricane Stan tore through Central America and Mexico and dropped 20 inches of rain (Thomas, 2007). In the remote communities of the Sierra Madre mountain range of Guatemala, the hurricane’s rain caused catastrophic mudslides that swept entire communities away. In Guatemala alone, Hurricane stan killed over 650 people and directly affected over 500,000 (Thomas, 2007). There were many complicated factors that affected both access and treatment of victims. It is important to note that the majority of communities in this region are indigenous Mayan. Their history with the Latino majority of Guatemala is tumultuous and includes years of bloody genocide. Many of the remaining Mayan communities in the Sierra Madres still carry distrust of outsiders (Thomas, 2007). The government sent soldiers to help search for survivors and treat the wounded, but some were reminded of the soldiers that came and decimated entire communities in the early eighties. Entire communities turned away outside help and conducted their own searches (Associated Press, 2005). The region is rugged, with many communities only accessible by foot, so there were many logistical challenges in reaching communities, assessing their needs, and getting supplies delivered, especially during during and immediately after the mudslides when ground was unstable. Most of the population in the mountains live in poverty and lived in small hand built homes (Thomas, 2007). Recovery took years and for many was never complete (Thomas, 2007). I think it would have been very difficult to be a healthcare provider in that situation because of how incredibly limited resources were and hard it was to reach people. When I was in this region last summer, I thought about the hurricane and mudslides. It was easy to see how disastrous they had been, and if it happened again today I’m not sure the outcome would be any better. A positive outcome was how well many communities banded together to support each other and some successful community organizations that were born (Thomas, 2007). I hope that some of these groups have plans they could enact quickly that would help them locate and support those affected should another disaster occur.

 

Associated Press, (2005). Guatemala halts recovery efforts after mudslides. Retrieved from                

           http://www.nbcnews.com/id/9588034/ns/weather-weather_news/t/guatemala-halts recovery-

          effort-after-mudslides/#.Vl0EAMo0q3I

 

Thomas, K. (2007). Hurricane Stan and Social Suffering in Guatemala. ReVista: Harvard Review of

          Latin America. 6(2), 48-51.