“We looked at the damage in Flor de Campo but this may change as the rains continue. We know for sure we have to help 2 families relocate as their homes are not usable. Several other families have had their crops wiped out and cannot use the land until there is something figured out. This is a lovely little community but I dread what the next few months hold for them.” –Diane Nesselhuf, Executive Director, Sharing the Dream
By writing about the recent calamitous Hurricane Agatha, I want to alert visitors to that recent event in Guatemala and to encourage those who are able to contribute to relief. For my part, all proceeds of my print sales during the 2010 hurricane season will be donated for storm relief efforts in Guatemala
Many in the US know about the devastation suffered in Guatemala after the May 30 Hurricane Agatha. Especially in the Guatemala City area, a combination of the heavy rains with large amounts of ash from the eruption of the volcano Picaya made an already bad situation still worse. In June, slippery volcanic ash closed the Guatemala City Airport for five days as ash had to be removed to prevent planes from sliding off runways. Photo: A weaver member of the cooperative Flor Del Campo with the remaining wall of her destroyed house. Courtesy of www.sharingthedream.org
The total loss of life in Guatemala does not approach those of earth quake ravaged Haiti and Chile, still thousands of subsistence farmers have lost their next years food supply. Homes and schools have been destroyed. With widespread road and bridges infrastructure destroyed, communication was and still is cut off in many areas of the country. Flooding of rivers was exacerbated by heavy rains which continued to fall after the storm itself was over. Certain areas of the country, depending on terrain, altitude and proximity to rivers, were affected much more than others. 
After having suffered the devastating Hurricanes Mitch (1998) and Stan (2005) many Guatemalans people now recognize that the new severity and frequency of severe storms coincides with increased global warming. Many would agree with their assessment. Weather predictions call for more severe storms during the 2010 rainy season which extends to at least until September. Photos: The road to Patzaj with mudslides. Courtesy of www.sharingthedream.org
The example of the village of Patzaj, near Comalapa, which suffered damage from Agatha, gives us a typical situation. Houses were filled with mud, others destroyed, animals killed, crops washed away. Members of the Patzaj weaving coop “Flor Del Campo” (Flowers of the Field) suffered all this and give us a personal and direct understanding of the situation. The coop is supported in part by Sharing the Dream which sells coop members’ production in their store. For more details in letters written by people on a recent trip — sponsored by Sharing the Dream — to the affected area, go to: www.sharingthedream.org
On a more positive note, communication structures — such as the mainly Maya supported community radio stations — have proved to be lifelines between people and whole communities. The stations serve as a way to help to connect people to one another during this crisis. Read more at www.culturalsurvival.org/news/guatemala-radio-news
Find still more information about the aftermath of the storm in Guatemala — and organizations who have capabilities of giving aid to those in great need — by going to the Network of Solidarity with the People of Guatemala at www.nisgua.org