Survivors of Guatemalan Disaster Face Death or Emigration

 

The day before he left for the United States was a busy one for Victor Cal. He went around to family members' homes to collect money so he could buy food during the long trip north.

His mother pleaded¹ with him not to leave.

But Cal, who is 26, felt he had no choice. After a deadly mudslide, the town where he lived had only hunger and death. It seemed going to the United States was the only way out.

Eleven men from his town have gone north this year. American officials say they have stopped more than 150,000 Guatemalans at the border in 2021. That is four times the number in 2020.

Many were like Victor Cal. They could not find work in Guatemala City.

Cal is an Indigenous² Mayan who speaks Pocomchí. When the pandemic hit, he was one of thousands who left the capital to return to their farming towns in the mountains.

His father's land is in Quejá. With its coffee, corn, cardamom and beans, it sounded like a safe place. At least there would be food, he thought.

But he was wrong.

Hurricane Eta and the resulting mudslides had destroyed everything -- homes, land and the town. Cal and others became dependent³ on international aid organizations. They lived in a temporary settlement called Nuevo (new) Quejá.

The old Quejá was not a wealthy place. But there had been hard-earned growth over the years. The community had colorful homes with large windows and electricity. But all of that was lost to the disaster.

Esma Cal is one of the survivors⁴. (Many of the people of Quejá share the last name of Cal, though it is not clear how some might be related⁵.) Esma is an energetic 28-year-old and a great communicator. She became a local leader.

By January of this year, Esma Cal, Erwin Cal, Gregorio Ti and others had organized a local rebuilding council⁶. By February, they had founded a temporary settlement on a third of their farmland.

That is how Nuevo Quejá was born. The town is home to about 1,000 survivors.

"We know how to work," said Gregorio Ti, 36. He lost his pregnant⁷ wife, two young sons and his mother in the mudslide. His daughters, 11 and 14 years old, survived.

The work never ends and is backbreaking. All day long, men, women and children cut and transport wood and clear land with their tools.

The temporary shelters have holes in their tops that let rainwater pour inside.

Esma Cal's 37-year-old uncle, Germán Cal, is trying to bring electricity to Nuevo Quejá.

But because the town does not officially exist, it cannot get electric poles or road repairs or cleaner water. The Guatemalan government has never been much help to this community. And after the mudslide, it declared the new settlement unlivable.

The townspeople have gotten some help from aid organizations.

For example, UNICEF donated a new school to the community. But the school has been closed for about five months because UNICEF gave the key to a teacher who left.

So instead, classes took place in the shelter next door. The structure leaks, and the floor is often flooded and muddy. The school serves 250 children and the materials are in Spanish. The students speak only Pocomchi.

In addition, the children have begun suffering from poor nutrition.

César Chiquin is the head nurse in charge of the area. He said before the hurricane, the children were healthier. "Today, it is rare for a child to have the correct weight and height," Chiquin said.

The people of Nuevo Quejá are unable to grow and raise enough food. Part of the issue is timing⁸. After losing last year's crops to the hurricanes, "We arrived in Nuevo Quejá too late for planting properly," Esma Cal said.

They also have much less land than they did before the storms. And a lot of the fertile⁹ soil was washed away by the rains.

The rebuilding council says the town needs about 30 hectares more land. But the council has no money to buy it. Someday, the community could be awarded land by the government. But Guatemalan law says the land does not have to be close by. And the community does not want to move far from their Indigenous lands.

"We need a permanent solution. This place is not fit to live in," said Esma Cal. "We, as a farming community, need land."

The people of Nuevo Quejá also need wood for their stoves. So they cut down trees on the mountainside. They understand this puts them at risk for mudslides as the rainy season comes.

"We know we can't be here," Julio Cal said. "The government has to relocate us on permanent land."

But until then, people are dying¹⁰ in this settlement, one by one.

Moving to Guatemala City was not possible for Victor Cal. There were no jobs in the pandemic, and Mayans like him do not speak Spanish.

Most of them say the only thing that prevents them from emigrating¹¹ is the cost.

Víctor Cal was able to get a $13,000 loan¹² from a family member in Miami to buy coyote services. A coyote in this situation is someone who brings immigrants¹³ across the U.S. border secretly.

It was four in the morning when Victor wrote down two telephone numbers: his and that of his coyote. He put the paper on the table for his parents.

After he left, he said, "If I had a choice, I wouldn't go. I will be back as soon as possible."

Words in This Story

mudslide – n. a large mass of wet earth that suddenly and quickly moves down the side of a mountain or hill

Indigenous – adj. of the people who are native to a place

council – n. a group of people who are chosen to make rules, laws, or decisions about something

key – n. a device¹⁴ that is used to open a lock or start an automobile¹⁵

nurse – n. a person who is trained to care for sick or injured people and who usually works¹⁶ in a hospital or doctor's office

relocate – v. to move to a new place

1 pleaded   

恳求，请求( plead的过去式和过去分词 )； 提出…为借口[理由]； （向法庭）陈述案情； （在法庭）申辩，认罪，辩护

参考例句：

• She pleaded with him not to go. 她恳求他不要离开。
• She wept and pleaded until he agreed to do as she wished. 她哭着恳求他，一直到他答应按她的愿望去做。

2 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

3 dependent   

adj.依靠的，依赖的，依赖他人生活者

参考例句：

• He has a mother completely dependent on him.他有一个完全靠他赡养的母亲。
• The country is dependent on foreign aid.这个国家靠外援生存。

4 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

5 related   

adj.有关系的，有关联的，叙述的，讲述的

参考例句：

• I am not related to him in any way.我和他无任何关系。
• We spent days going through all related reference material.我们花了好多天功夫查阅所有有关的参考资料。

6 council   

n.理事会，委员会，议事机构

参考例句：

• The town council passed a law forbidding the distribution of handbills.市议会通过法律，禁止散发传单。
• The city council has declared for improving the public bus system.市议会宣布同意改进公共汽车系统。

7 pregnant   

adj.怀孕的，怀胎的

参考例句：

• She is a pregnant woman.她是一名孕妇。
• She is pregnant with her first child.她怀了第一胎。

8 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

9 fertile   

adj.肥沃的，富饶的；多产的，丰产的

参考例句：

• The district is fertile of wheat.该地区盛产小麦。
• Plants grow well in fertile soil.植物在肥沃的土壤里长势良好。

10 dying   

adj.垂死的，临终的

参考例句：

• He was put in charge of the group by the dying leader.他被临终的领导人任命为集团负责人。
• She was shown into a small room,where there was a dying man.她被领进了一间小屋子，那里有一个垂死的人。

11 emigrating   

移居国外( emigrate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Elinor is thinking about emigrating to the United States. 埃莉诺正在考虑移居美国。
• Many British doctors are emigrating to the United States. 许多英国医生移居美国。

12 loan   

n.贷款；借出的东西；借；vt.借出；贷予

参考例句：

• I asked the bank to help me with a loan.我请银行给我一笔贷款。
• Has the bank okayed your request for a loan?银行批准你的贷款要求了吗？

13 immigrants   

n.移民( immigrant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Illegal immigrants were given the opportunity to regularize their position. 非法移民得到了使其身份合法化的机会。
• Immigrants from all over the world populate this city. 这个城市里生活着来自世界各地的移民。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 device   

n.器械，装置；计划，策略，诡计

参考例句：

• The device will be in production by the end of the year.该装置将于年底投入生产。
• The device will save much time and effort for us.这种装置会使我们节省大量时间和气力。

15 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

16 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。