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| Santiago Atitlan is in mourning. |
| One of the corners of Santiago Atitlan, situated on the side of Volcano Atitlan has been washed away and almost completely buried, leaving only mud and rubble where there were once homes. With 119 dead and over 1000 unaccounted for, this once-turistic, picturesque place was turned into a disaster area with bodies being removed from the earth and the local population left with inadequate help and food supplies. | View more photos
Map of the Site of the Tragedy
LINKS:
Ministry of the Defense: In order to report missing people.
www.conred.org (Coordinating National for the reduction of disasters).
PrensaLibre.com (File Event). |
Tropical storm Stan in Guatemala
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Guatemala has been battered by tropical storm Stan and its aftereffects. The storm caused landslides and widespread flooding throughout the area leaving a death toll higher than that of Hurricane Mitch. More than 700 people are dead, hundreds more are missing and it is estimated that the economic cost of the disaster will surpass 6000 million quetzales. |
EVENTS OF TRAGEDY IN PANABAJ AND TZANCHAJ SANTIAGO ATITLAN SOLOLA GUATEMALA
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March 2008
The government delivery 170 houses to affected person by Stan Storm, they were relocated in a new village named Checumuc, is contemplated delivery others 200 houses in the next years.
Also in front of the village there are a new museum where you can contemplated different archeological pieces from the tzutuhil culture.
June 2006
The first days of June and water runs through the place where the reconstruction in Panabaj was halted. Several families in temporary shelters were moved as the water is a warning and alert to the authorities of the imminent risk that exists in this place where they wanted to resettle the survivors. After having studied the area for 8 months it was decided to suspend the work but it is a matter of urgency for people to leave their temporary shelters and rebuild the homes of the surviving families of the tragedy which happened last year killing more than 500 people.
| May 2006: |
| Change of plan in the reconstruction of Panabaj. |
| The initial plan to reconstruct Panabaj near to where the disaster happened has been suspended and building will now restart some two kilometers from Panabaj in Xec'muc. 1 million quetzales has already been invested and the rest of the assigned budget of 9 million will be used for the new site. Various organisations have also given their support and hope to the survivors of the mudslide and evidence of this exists in the reconstruction programmes and projects. The exporting of local handicrafts and produce to other countries is also giving people work in the community. |
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| November 2005 |
| Panabaj now: |
| A few weeks have passed since the tragedy in Panabaj and Tzanchaj. There is now no hope of reconstructing the villages as the area has been declared a cemetery due to there being entire families still buried beneath the mud with no hope of recovery. The government has provided temporary shelters near to the affected area but this is still at risk from further landslides. |
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The area where these shelters are being located used to be on slightly higher ground than the surrounding areas and was donated to the government by the local church to house survivors. However the mud raised the other ground by up to 6 meters and the donated land is now lower than its sorroundings. The consequence of this is that any further mudslide would severely endanger the temporary site therefore it is necessary to find another place to build as this kind of tragedy is unpredictable and a great risk to the survivors.
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