Peril in Guatemala

June 10, 2010

Dear Andrew,

Thanks for asking about the Peril here in Guatemala. As You know, life is very precarious here in the best of tiles. Corruption, discrimination, and inequality are coupled with a rich and beautiful, but at times dangerous natural environment. Earthquakes, volcanic activity and tropical storms and huricanes are a regular part of life here, and the eruption of Pacaya, which still continues to spew and threathen more people living near it, and Agatha, are just the most recent of tragendies. Many parts of Guatemala, such as Panabaj near Santiago Atitlan where hundreds died in their sleep, have not been rebuilt since Stan in 2005, and the damages of Hurricane Mitch in 1998 are still evident in other parts.

Here are some facts for you and your audience to consider. Facts and figures are changing daily as more bodies are recovered, loss of property and business is totaled, and the longer, larger task of reconsriction and resettlement begins, but as of June 4, heres what we know;

158 people lost their lives in Agatha, including one girl here in San Pedro who was carried away by an enormous landslide as we saw in Panabaj outside Santiago Atitlan. Fortunately, local citizens rallied the population living there to seek drier groud and as the slide happened during the day, there were almost no deaths.

87,000 are refuged in temporary quarters. Churches and relief organization have done the best job of this, as many municipal goverments have booted refugees from public quarters. In San Pedro their are about 100 people who lost everything to the landslides. Another 350 or so are affected by the proximity to their homes. MANY lost their coffee plantations, corn fields and other agricultural lands.

9000 people were displaced by the eruption of Pacaya.

9000 homes are in high risk areas due to prevelance and probabilty of flooding and landslides, many of which local authorities have declared not to be rebuilt.

In the Village of Jaibalito here at the lake, all of the 80 families have been told by the mayor of Santa Cruz La Laguna which governs Jaibalito, the Departmental Governor, and the First Lady that they much abandon their village and be relocated to an as yet ¨undetermined¨ location. Details are very sketchy. They are being offered land, electricity, water and a tent to live in on higher ground, but this does not address their loss of community, churches, schools, and homes wwich many have struggled to build.

There have been numerous landslides on national highwasys and some 300 bridges have been destroyed of which 16 are on major highways crucial to transportation.

Early estimates of agricultural loss total 10% of current production

On Pacaya alone some $30 million of Cafe cultivation have been lost

800 hectqares of banana plantation were wiped out

Agriculutal cooperatives, which unlike private plantations, which are run and collectively owned by farmers, suffered losses of half a million dollars

The Departments most affectied are along the Pacific Coast (Retaluleu, Esquintla, Santa Rosa), and long the mountain ranges (Solola, Totonicapan, Quiche, Quetzaltenango, San Marcos, Chimaltenango, & Baja Verapaz).

The list goes on and on. Basically these tragedies have affected all parts of the country due to lapses in transportation.

Santos and I are coordinating our efforts ot help Jaibalito as thats his peublo and we know best the need and how to help. Although there has been govermental assitance, the governmental organizations are not to be trusted in terms of relief help due to curruption and inefficency. As always, its best to administer aid where there is a direct contant to locally based relief efforts.

Please stay in touch concerning your efforts to raise money for Guatemala. m As well I will try to update you about need and efforts that I feel are legitimate and worthy of help.

God Bless you and your work,

Best

Blake

--- On Fri, 6/4/10, Andrew More O'Connor <andrew@goodsofconscience.com> wrote:

From: Andrew More O'Connor <andrew@goodsofconscience.com>

Subject: Re: Your fabricx

To: "Mr Blake Sherlock" <blakesherlock@yahoo.com>

Date: Friday, June 4, 2010, 8:54 PM

Blake,

I am organizing a Bloomsday event (June 16th) to benefit

Guatemala. Any further descriptions of need and peril

that would help augment my appeal would be helpful.

Andrew