I'm doing recovery
work and things are really sad. so many people lost their means of
food and income. so many people lost thier beds and clothes. so many
people lost thier refridgerators, and the few that had computers lost
them too. the food trucks have been being turned away in several
communtities because of disorder- thats hard to see, but im getting to
work in the bateys and see my friends back there. thats really nice.
returning to la guazara today for the afternoon- first time since
leaving friday, i need more clean clothes to wear (thought i was only
going to stay here one night). will see how people are holding up
with out food and without easy access to barahona. i see communities
everyday that are still underwater (think katrina) and my friends who
live there look worn out and horrible, you can tell that they have
been through a disaster. people crowd the sides of the roads looking
to loot aid trucks and/or hoping that aid is coming to them. many
still refuse to leave thier communities dispite the water. more dead
are floating up daily. And volunteers (NOT peace corps volunteers)
working in the aid/ living in
the city have been stealing aid. BUT on the bright side- many are
back in their homes cleaning up. the roads are drying up and the
shoddy electricity is returning. more aid is coming daily. much of it
from the U.S. volunteers in the capital are loading helicopters and
airplanes to be sent out.
Things WILL get better! We are organizing and calming. I will see
you all in December.
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
follow up to last blog about recovery work
Sunday, November 04, 2007
waiting to action
so spent yesterday moving supplies and in meeting discussing how and where the supplies should be handed out. as volunteers we have been attending the meetings of various ngos to try to organized and collaborate so as not to see so much overlaping in certian communities and neglect in others.
so what happened in my sites-
La Guazara- the road in and out is unpassable by cars and trucks. Motos must be carried through our new river. Long term shortages of food might spring up as there is much damage to crops and trucks cannot get through to replenish the colmados (small mom and pop stores). Already seen problems with hospital care. One baby had a very high fever and had to be carried accross the river and taken down by a ngo and one woman gave birth in la guazara as she could not get down.
Batey 3 (my old site)- Was drowned in water. I have heard that furniture and clothes are ruined. the plantain trees and local crops lost and there is no potable water. i heard that transportation to the bateys just opened up. there is current hunger.
What i am doing- working with ngos to organize supplies and plans of action. I am headed to the ngo that mainly works in the bateys today. I hope to be an advocate for batey 3 given my 6 months of living in the community and my relationship with the people there. I have checked in with plan international (the ngo that works with la guazara) about thier plans in la guazara and they seem to have things organized. My main worry right now are my friends back in the batey.
In the meantime- the kids here are enjoying thier new rivers and lakes. They are loving playing in the water. The donas are worring about food and transportation. The tigueres are drinking rum (What else is new?).
A week later and its quite surreal what just happened. After the meetings yesterday its started to hit me the gravety of it all. Before it was- lets go have fun in the river/ play in the rain/ My god when will all this water stop! Now its about mobilizing. Relief work is completely different that what I had been doing and I've read a lot about the scandels and problems with relief/aid work in developing countries. I am now beginning to experience the difficulties.
so what happened in my sites-
La Guazara- the road in and out is unpassable by cars and trucks. Motos must be carried through our new river. Long term shortages of food might spring up as there is much damage to crops and trucks cannot get through to replenish the colmados (small mom and pop stores). Already seen problems with hospital care. One baby had a very high fever and had to be carried accross the river and taken down by a ngo and one woman gave birth in la guazara as she could not get down.
Batey 3 (my old site)- Was drowned in water. I have heard that furniture and clothes are ruined. the plantain trees and local crops lost and there is no potable water. i heard that transportation to the bateys just opened up. there is current hunger.
What i am doing- working with ngos to organize supplies and plans of action. I am headed to the ngo that mainly works in the bateys today. I hope to be an advocate for batey 3 given my 6 months of living in the community and my relationship with the people there. I have checked in with plan international (the ngo that works with la guazara) about thier plans in la guazara and they seem to have things organized. My main worry right now are my friends back in the batey.
In the meantime- the kids here are enjoying thier new rivers and lakes. They are loving playing in the water. The donas are worring about food and transportation. The tigueres are drinking rum (What else is new?).
A week later and its quite surreal what just happened. After the meetings yesterday its started to hit me the gravety of it all. Before it was- lets go have fun in the river/ play in the rain/ My god when will all this water stop! Now its about mobilizing. Relief work is completely different that what I had been doing and I've read a lot about the scandels and problems with relief/aid work in developing countries. I am now beginning to experience the difficulties.
Friday, November 02, 2007
tropical storm and a velorio for a dog
dont have time to update now. New pics of the tropical storm damage posted and heres the last letter i wrote to mrs. pattons class. I guess that should update ya'll a bit.
Hello once again Mrs. Patton's class!
The end of october has brought some pretty crazy events here. It really began the Sunday before Halloween so I guess that's where I will start.
On the Sunday before Halloween, Babu died. She was only 10 months old and I had only had her since the beginning of June. I had been in Barahona (the closest city) that morning celebrating the birthday of another volunteer, christina, when it started to rain. When it rains i need to make a decision, go home or be trapped out because the roads to my site become dangerous. So i hop on a moto only to be greeted by the police at my door. he informed me that the electrical box for the whole town fell in a puddle and electricuted babu and a pig. I had him repeat it four times before i believed him. I then screamed so loud the whole town knew i found out. My host mom came running and spent 2 hours deep cleaning my entire house while the traditional dominican velorio (i think it would be called a 'wake' in english) began. a velorio is when after a person dies everyone comes over to spend time with the greeving family and as far as i know there has never been a velorio for a dog in the history of the dominican republic.
Well the rains continue and strengthen. I really dont care I'm a mess in my bed crying. being consoled. we all keep saying "well gracias a dios no era un nino" "thank god it wasn't a child". Which is true thank god it wasn't a child. The police from barahona acutally heard that the DAUGHTER of the American died and came to the velorio to check it out. In fact i think Babu is still listed as one of the people who died in the tropical storm that passed.
ok now to the tropical storm... It ended up doing more damage than hurricane dean did in august. its really tragic- one town lost 25 or more houses! the batey where i lived had to be evacuated! Thank god i live in the mountians. Unfortuantely 3 rivers have sprung up where the only road out of my site is. I have pictures posted of this on my website. its rediculous! I am actually writing this on my way to a location with refugees from the storm. Christina (the volunteer mentioned whos birthday it was) and i are going to see how we can help. boats of supplies are coming in. Why have both of the storms hit the south the hardest?!? Why do all of my dogs keep dying?!? And why did 2 am halloween morning i wake up to a mouse in my bed? Life... I think I'm gonna get a cat. Ok well thats a long letter and I'd better get going. I will write again and I will see you all in December, si dios quiere.
Cuidense.
Becky
The end of october has brought some pretty crazy events here. It really began the Sunday before Halloween so I guess that's where I will start.
On the Sunday before Halloween, Babu died. She was only 10 months old and I had only had her since the beginning of June. I had been in Barahona (the closest city) that morning celebrating the birthday of another volunteer, christina, when it started to rain. When it rains i need to make a decision, go home or be trapped out because the roads to my site become dangerous. So i hop on a moto only to be greeted by the police at my door. he informed me that the electrical box for the whole town fell in a puddle and electricuted babu and a pig. I had him repeat it four times before i believed him. I then screamed so loud the whole town knew i found out. My host mom came running and spent 2 hours deep cleaning my entire house while the traditional dominican velorio (i think it would be called a 'wake' in english) began. a velorio is when after a person dies everyone comes over to spend time with the greeving family and as far as i know there has never been a velorio for a dog in the history of the dominican republic.
Well the rains continue and strengthen. I really dont care I'm a mess in my bed crying. being consoled. we all keep saying "well gracias a dios no era un nino" "thank god it wasn't a child". Which is true thank god it wasn't a child. The police from barahona acutally heard that the DAUGHTER of the American died and came to the velorio to check it out. In fact i think Babu is still listed as one of the people who died in the tropical storm that passed.
ok now to the tropical storm... It ended up doing more damage than hurricane dean did in august. its really tragic- one town lost 25 or more houses! the batey where i lived had to be evacuated! Thank god i live in the mountians. Unfortuantely 3 rivers have sprung up where the only road out of my site is. I have pictures posted of this on my website. its rediculous! I am actually writing this on my way to a location with refugees from the storm. Christina (the volunteer mentioned whos birthday it was) and i are going to see how we can help. boats of supplies are coming in. Why have both of the storms hit the south the hardest?!? Why do all of my dogs keep dying?!? And why did 2 am halloween morning i wake up to a mouse in my bed? Life... I think I'm gonna get a cat. Ok well thats a long letter and I'd better get going. I will write again and I will see you all in December, si dios quiere.
Cuidense.
Becky
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