What the Hell is going on in Guatemala?
On June 3rd, the volcano de Fuego erupted and has claimed the lives of hundreds of people since. The tragedy of a volcano is the undeniable and unstoppable destruction that meets everything in its path, but for the people of Guatemala there seems to be no relief from the mass destruction caused by the hot lava flowing out of the earth. Guatemala is an impoverished country of Central America and is home to thousands of people who are already mistreated by their government, but it has now been clear that their government is not there to protect them. Within the first week of the after effects of the initial eruption of volcano Fuego, about 197 people died, yet it has been almost three weeks since the eruption and there is still no relief for the victims of this natural disaster http://time.com/5300139/guatemala-fuego-volcano-eruption-location-death-toll/. Although many people are encouraged to donate whatever they can to help out victims of a natural disaster to organizations such as the Red Cross in order to send medical aid, food, water, and other essentials to the affected areas, it is very rare that these people will actually receive help from these organizations who claim to be there to help. The people of Guatemala need immediate help, but because of their location and “importance” to the modern world they seem to be overlooked. I have two cousins who moved to Guatemala City to love with their spouses, thankfully they were not killed by the eruption, but have suffered their own losses from the disaster. According to my cousin Jocelyn who lives in Guatemala City, an evacuation warning was not issued until two days after the first eruption, yet all of the articles about the disaster say that the evacuation warning was issued at the appropriate time https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/06/07/world/americas/guatemala-volcano-eruption.html. The geography of Guatemala and the location of volcano Fuego did not allow for people to evacuate two days after the eruption and escape with their lives, the volcano that erupted is dangerously close to domesticated areas. I did not think that anyone would survive with their lives, but it was up to the locals who actually warned their neighbors, friends, and family about the initial eruption and urged them to evacuate. In impoverished areas that no outside country seems to care about, the people who live there take it upon themselves to save their home and loved ones. In countries that are considered “third world” it is portrayed that they are almost “primitive”, but on the contrary the people who live there are more concerned about their homeland than the elected officials who are supposed to protect and care for the country. In the event of a disaster, the last thing someone in charge wants to do it accept the blame and responsibility for the lives of countless people, but there are inevitable cases where people should be taking the blame to avoid others from suffering. Natural storms are inevitable, but the suffering and fatalities of people can be avoided, it is blame that separates a natural storm or event, from a natural disaster. For example, the Bhopal Gas Leak of 1984 was a disaster that could have been avoided if the proper precautions were taken. In December of 1984, in Bhopal India an accident at the Union Carbide plant took the lives of 16,000 people due to a leakage of a deadly gas that leaked out of the plant that was surrounded by small towns, the deadly gas leaked overnight causing hundreds of deaths from one day to the next. In this particular situation, there was no time for evacuation, but this natural disaster could have been prevented through a number of reasons, the geographical placement of the plant could have been built somewhere else that was not surrounding small towns, there could have been an evacuation plan at the initial sign of a problem in the plant, and there could have been a better caring of the equipment that contained the deadly gases https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2014/12/bhopal-the-worlds-worst-industrial-disaster-30-years-later/100864/ . Although this disaster happened in 1984 these issues are all very similar to the natural disaster happening in Guatemala, despite the fact that a volcano cannot be moved, there should have been some type of protective barrier to allow for the people who live nearest to the mouth of the volcano to evacuate in a timely manner. Natural disasters are very impactful on the people of the affected areas, their homes and lives are destroyed and sometimes it takes months and even years for a country to fully reconstruct after a disaster. For example the people of Bhopal are still not fully recuperated from the gas Leak, toxic material still remains in the ground and the surrounding areas, and children who were born after the exposure have mental and physical disabilities. In the book Animal’s People by Indra Sinha and young man named Animal who was born just a few days after the Gas Leak of 1984, tell his story of the people he encounters, most of these people all suffer from some sort of disability caused by the disaster whether it is monetary, physical, or mental the after effects and repercussions of a disaster are more than often overlooked. The book explores the severe effects a natural disaster has on the communities that have been affected, and makes it clear how those responsible do not take the responsibility of the people harmed. The repercussions of natural disaster is something that we are all too familiar with, we understand that lives, and all personal possessions could be lost to a storm or gas leak, but we only acknowledge the immediate help and then forget that communities and families also need rebuilding. Hopefully, the people of Guatemala receive aid that is more involved in helping the people rather than in just cleaning up their mess and liabilities.
