Villages

Around Lake Atitlan

Atitlan has just taken a major blow from Tropical Storm Stan and is struggling valiantly to recover. People are smiling and “picking up the pieces”. But the social and economic infrastructure was fragile and some areas were hit hard. The rural poor in small villages suffered the worst. With the goal of aiding the considerable numbers of mostly poor who are struggling with personal tragedy and to quickly restore the Lake to it’s world-class tourist status which the population heavily depends upon for sustenance - we are reaching out for help.

Pictures below were taked the day and week after the events, in many cases the situation is by far different now, in a few days we are going to update this content.

Jaibal

Food , medicine and supplies arriving to Jaibal for distribution to all of the villages around lake atitlan. From Solola, food was transporte in 4wheels cars and then by boat, because there was no bridge to Panajachel

Santiago Atitlan

Santiago Atitlan, the most devastated town with an unnoficial number of deaths had 3 huge landslides that covered with mud 2 small villages with a calculated of 350 families under mud.

Affected population: around 850 families
Official deaths: 500
Dissapeared persons: 1,100
Houses Destroyed : 294
Houses damaged: 581
Houses in risk: 0

San Marcos la Laguna

San Marcos.

Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz - Jaibalito.

Santa Catarina Palopo

Santa Catarina Palopo.

Affected population: around 350
Inicial Shelters: 4
Shelters today(17/Oct): 0
Houses Destroyed : 52
Houses damaged: 53
Houses in risk: 0

San Antonio Palopo

San Antonio Palopo.

San Pedro La Laguna

San Pedro La Laguna.

San Lucas - El Tablon

San Lucas - Tablon.

San Andres Semetabaj y Aldea Patanatik-panajachel

San Andres Semetabaj y Aldea Patanatik(Panajachel) .

San Pablo La Laguna

A village of 12,000 perched above the shores of Lake Atitlán, who suffered damages to land and livelihood during Hurricane Stan. Though only five houses were completely destroyed, hundreds of families lost their only access to income when a landslide covered nearly 3 kilometers of coffee and maiz with rocks from the mountains above. Now the people look ahead with little hope as the planting season draws nearer and expenses, like food and clothing go unmet.

Beyond the immediate damage, coping strategies related to the loss of livelihoods have already begun to produce long-term, degenerative results. Nutritional intake and health standards have begun to decline. Psychological trauma related to the decrease in the standards of living are beginning to take their toll. And there is likely to be a drastic cutback in school attendance, as indicated by interviews conducted with local families and the lack of preparation for the coming school year. The need for scholarships to support those students who have the drive, perseverance and merit to continue with their studies is greater than ever.

Most devastating of all, San Pablo la Laguna is both the poorest and the most overlooked village on the entire lake. Little has been done to address the growing issues in the village - no major organization has focused their efforts there, and though their neighbor San Juan la Laguna continues to receive regular food drops, they go regularly go hungry. The UN and Oxfam have recognized and are helping towns such as Santiago Atitlán and Panajachel while local organizations like IMAP and Vivamos Mejor provide relief in San Lucas, San Marcos, Santa Catarina and San Antonio, among others. But still San Pablo remains beneath the radar and underserved.

San Juan La Laguna

San Juan La Laguna.

Ixtahuacan

Ixtahuacan.

We`ve lost family and home but with our commitment to work, smiles, weavings and colors, we are going to rebuild you beloved Atitlàn...Miguel Tzul-Panajachel