DownloadAug. 2 issue
Mudslides cover homes in Guatemala
By Mennonite Central Committee staffGUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala — Just a few minutes after Claudia Almanzo, 23, and her two children left their house, a mudslide swept over their tin-roof, wooden house, burying it.
“All of our things were buried underneath the landslide,” Almanzo said. “Now our house simply doesn’t exist.”
Almanzo and her husband, Estuardo Bernal, 26, and their children found refuge at Rock of Salvation Mennonite Church with about 70 other people. The church had opened its doors as a temporary shelter.
Rains caused by tropical storm Agatha during the last weekend in May caused flooding and landslides in Guatemala, but also affected Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador. The Associated Press reported that 165 people were killed in Guatemala, and 18,000 homes destroyed.
In response, Mennonite Central Committee has committed $20,000 in addition to sending two shipping containers of meat, blankets, dried soup mix, relief kits and health kits to Guatemala.
Some of the supplies will be distributed by the Evangelical Mennonite Church of Guatemala.
Plans to address the needs for trauma healing, health and home repair are under development.
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