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Dual Disaster Strikes Guatemala
FrontLines - June 2010
By Wende S. DuFlon
Guatemala was struck by two
natural disasters in late May—
heavy rainfall, which resulted in
flooding, mudslides, and a sinkhole,
and a volcanic eruption
that covered the nation’s capital
with up to an inch of ash.
A man pushes a wheelbarrow of mud as he helps clean a street near his house in Amatitlan, Guatemala,
June 1.
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A woman looks at the damage caused to her home by the eruption
of the Pacaya volcano about 30 miles south of Guatemala City in
Las Calderas, San Vincente Pacaya.
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Tropical Storm Agatha caused flooding that carried rivers of mud
through towns, homes, and croplands, causing extensive damage.
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On May 26, heavy rainfall
from Tropical Depression Agatha
began in Guatemala, Honduras,
and El Salvador, dumping up to 3
feet of water in some areas and
causing an enormous sinkhole in
downtown Guatemala City.
Floods and mudslides were triggered
in the majority of the country’s
municipalities.
Although the rain subsided
May 30, the Ministry of Education
closed all schools, public
and private, for one week. Many
public schools were converted
into temporary shelters for families
displaced by the storm.
On May 27, one of Guatemala’s
three active volcanoes,
Pacaya Volcano, erupted 25
miles south of the nation’s capital,
Guatemala City, and spread
ash, sand, gravel, and fist-sized
pumice rocks for miles. The
debris in the city prompted the
closing of Aurora International
Airport.
Subsequently, the government
of Guatemala declared a state of
emergency due to the dual disasters,
which struck 21 of the
country’s 22 departments.
The U.S. government
responded immediately with
$150,000 in initial emergency
humanitarian assistance from
USAID.
The departments of Guatemala,
where the capital Guatemala City
is located, Chimaltenango, Huehuetenango,
Sololá, and Izabal,
and parts of the southern coast
were the worst hit; more than
193,000 people have been affected
by the disasters.
According to reports from
Guatemala’s National Emergency
Commission (CONRED) and the
Pan American Health Organization,
as of June 8, the toll was:
174 people dead, 113 missing,
154 wounded, 162,857 evacuated,
and about 63,000 in shelters.
Some 1,300 public schools
were serving as temporary shelters
and emergency supply distribution
centers. More than 39,000
homes were damaged.
CONRED is distributing
emergency relief supplies to
affected families with U.S. government
assistance and is conducting
damage and needs
assessments and response operations
outside Guatemala City in
collaboration with the Guatemalan
Air Force, the National Civil
Police, and the U.S. government.
Scattered thunderstorms and
heavy clouds against mountain
slopes frustrated early relief
efforts to deliver 6,500 pounds
of supplies. However, as of June
4, CONRED had distributed
emergency relief supplies to
many affected families with the
assistance of U.S. government
helicopters. 
Flooding and mudslides prompted by Tropical Storm Agatha brought boulders from surrounding mountains into rural towns and villages like this one outside Tecpán in the
department of Chimaltenango.
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Damage to homes and village infrastructure in Tecpán, Chimaltenango, Guatemala, May 30.
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Guatemala is largely agricultural
and crop damage is extensive,
particularly among large
coffee and sugar plantations and
among medium and small producers
of specialty vegetable and fruits, ornamental plants, and shrimp.
Health officials are concerned about the outbreak of diseases such as malaria and dengue and are monitoring for increased numbers of children with acute malnutrition due to the affects of the crisis in areas with high chronic malnutrition rates. The economic and social effects of the dual disaster are expected to last into 2011.
International NGOs and agencies are delivering supplies and human resources in response to the dual disaster. A nine-person USAID assessment team is working closely with the Guatemalan government and humanitarian groups to coordinate the U.S. government response. In coordination with the U.S. Embassy and USAID, the U.S. Southern Command brought in helicopters and a detachment from Joint Task Force-Bravo, based in Honduras, to support evacuations, search and rescue efforts, and transport of emergency supplies.
Unfortunately, Guatemala can expect more natural disasters. The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction (2009) states that “Guatemala is among the top 10 countries with the highest mortality risk index due to natural disasters. Guatemala is at high risk for climate-related hazards such as landslides, droughts and earthquakes that provoke physical and economic vulnerability.”
In the last decade, seven natural disasters have been declared in Guatemala. USAID has provided approximately $5 million in emergency humanitarian assistance to the country since 2000. ★
FrontLines is published
by the Bureau for Legislative and Public Affairs
U.S. Agency for International Development
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