Survivors of Guatemalan Disaster Face Death or Emigration
2021-08-13
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1The day before he left for the United States was a busy one for Victor Cal.
2He went around to family members' homes to collect money so he could buy food during the long trip north.
3His mother pleaded with him not to leave.
4But Cal, who is 26, felt he had no choice.
5After a deadly mudslide, the town where he lived had only hunger and death.
6It seemed going to the United States was the only way out.
7Eleven men from his town have gone north this year.
8American officials say they have stopped more than 150,000 Guatemalans at the border in 2021.
9That is four times the number in 2020.
10Many were like Victor Cal. They could not find work in Guatemala City.
11Cal is an Indigenous Mayan who speaks Pocomchí.
12When the pandemic hit, he was one of thousands who left the capital to return to their farming towns in the mountains.
13His father's land is in Quejá.
14With its coffee, corn, cardamom and beans, it sounded like a safe place.
15At least there would be food, he thought.
16But he was wrong.
17Hurricane Eta and the resulting mudslides had destroyed everything -- homes, land and the town.
18Cal and others became dependent on international aid organizations.
19They lived in a temporary settlement called Nuevo (new) Quejá.
20The old Quejá was not a wealthy place.
21But there had been hard-earned growth over the years.
22The community had colorful homes with large windows and electricity.
23 But all of that was lost to the disaster.
24Esma Cal is one of the survivors.
25(Many of the people of Quejá share the last name of Cal, though it is not clear how some might be related.)
26Esma is an energetic 28-year-old and a great communicator.
27She became a local leader.
28By January of this year, Esma Cal, Erwin Cal, Gregorio Ti and others had organized a local rebuilding council.
29By February, they had founded a temporary settlement on a third of their farmland.
30That is how Nuevo Quejá was born.
31The town is home to about 1,000 survivors.
32"We know how to work," said Gregorio Ti, 36.
33He lost his pregnant wife, two young sons and his mother in the mudslide.
34His daughters, 11 and 14 years old, survived.
35The work never ends and is backbreaking.
36All day long, men, women and children cut and transport wood and clear land with their tools.
37The temporary shelters have holes in their tops that let rainwater pour inside.
38Esma Cal's 37-year-old uncle, Germán Cal, is trying to bring electricity to Nuevo Quejá.
39But because the town does not officially exist, it cannot get electric poles or road repairs or cleaner water.
40The Guatemalan government has never been much help to this community.
41And after the mudslide, it declared the new settlement unlivable.
42The townspeople have gotten some help from aid organizations.
43For example, UNICEF donated a new school to the community.
44But the school has been closed for about five months because UNICEF gave the key to a teacher who left.
45So instead, classes took place in the shelter next door.
46The structure leaks, and the floor is often flooded and muddy.
47The school serves 250 children and the materials are in Spanish.
48The students speak only Pocomchi.
49In addition, the children have begun suffering from poor nutrition.
50César Chiquin is the head nurse in charge of the area.
51 He said before the hurricane, the children were healthier.
52"Today, it is rare for a child to have the correct weight and height," Chiquin said.
53The people of Nuevo Quejá are unable to grow and raise enough food.
54Part of the issue is timing.
55After losing last year's crops to the hurricanes,
56 "We arrived in Nuevo Quejá too late for planting properly," Esma Cal said.
57They also have much less land than they did before the storms.
58And a lot of the fertile soil was washed away by the rains.
59The rebuilding council says the town needs about 30 hectares more land.
60But the council has no money to buy it.
61Someday, the community could be awarded land by the government.
62But Guatemalan law says the land does not have to be close by.
63And the community does not want to move far from their Indigenous lands.
64"We need a permanent solution. This place is not fit to live in," said Esma Cal.
65"We, as a farming community, need land."
66The people of Nuevo Quejá also need wood for their stoves.
67So they cut down trees on the mountainside.
68They understand this puts them at risk for mudslides as the rainy season comes.
69"We know we can't be here," Julio Cal said.
70"The government has to relocate us on permanent land."
71But until then, people are dying in this settlement, one by one.
72Moving to Guatemala City was not possible for Victor Cal.
73There were no jobs in the pandemic, and Mayans like him do not speak Spanish.
74Most of them say the only thing that prevents them from emigrating is the cost.
75Víctor Cal was able to get a $13,000 loan from a family member in Miami to buy coyote services.
76A coyote in this situation is someone who brings immigrants across the U.S. border secretly.
77It was four in the morning when Victor wrote down two telephone numbers: his and that of his coyote.
78He put the paper on the table for his parents.
79After he left, he said, "If I had a choice, I wouldn't go. I will be back as soon as possible."
80I'm Alice Bryant. And I'm Dan Friedell.
1The 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. 2His mother pleaded with him not to leave. 3But 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. 4Eleven 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. 5Many were like Victor Cal. They could not find work in Guatemala City. 6Cal is an Indigenous 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. 7His 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. 8But he was wrong. 9Hurricane Eta and the resulting mudslides had destroyed everything -- homes, land and the town. Cal and others became dependent on international aid organizations. They lived in a temporary settlement called Nuevo (new) Quejá. 10The 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. 11Esma Cal is one of the survivors. (Many of the people of Quejá share the last name of Cal, though it is not clear how some might be related.) Esma is an energetic 28-year-old and a great communicator. She became a local leader. 12By January of this year, Esma Cal, Erwin Cal, Gregorio Ti and others had organized a local rebuilding council. By February, they had founded a temporary settlement on a third of their farmland. 13That is how Nuevo Quejá was born. The town is home to about 1,000 survivors. 14"We know how to work," said Gregorio Ti, 36. He lost his pregnant wife, two young sons and his mother in the mudslide. His daughters, 11 and 14 years old, survived. 15The work never ends and is backbreaking. All day long, men, women and children cut and transport wood and clear land with their tools. 16The temporary shelters have holes in their tops that let rainwater pour inside. 17Esma Cal's 37-year-old uncle, Germán Cal, is trying to bring electricity to Nuevo Quejá. 18But 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. 19The townspeople have gotten some help from aid organizations. 20For 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. 21So 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. 22In addition, the children have begun suffering from poor nutrition. 23César 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. 24The people of Nuevo Quejá are unable to grow and raise enough food. Part of the issue is timing. After losing last year's crops to the hurricanes, "We arrived in Nuevo Quejá too late for planting properly," Esma Cal said. 25They also have much less land than they did before the storms. And a lot of the fertile soil was washed away by the rains. 26The 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. 27"We need a permanent solution. This place is not fit to live in," said Esma Cal. "We, as a farming community, need land." 28The 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. 29"We know we can't be here," Julio Cal said. "The government has to relocate us on permanent land." 30But until then, people are dying in this settlement, one by one. 31Moving to Guatemala City was not possible for Victor Cal. There were no jobs in the pandemic, and Mayans like him do not speak Spanish. 32Most of them say the only thing that prevents them from emigrating is the cost. 33Víctor Cal was able to get a $13,000 loan from a family member in Miami to buy coyote services. A coyote in this situation is someone who brings immigrants across the U.S. border secretly. 34It 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. 35After he left, he said, "If I had a choice, I wouldn't go. I will be back as soon as possible." 36I'm Alice Bryant. And I'm Dan Friedell. 37The Associated Press reported this story. Alice Bryant adapted it for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 38________________________________________________________ 39Words in This Story 40mudslide - n. a large mass of wet earth that suddenly and quickly moves down the side of a mountain or hill 41Indigenous - adj. of the people who are native to a place 42council - n. a group of people who are chosen to make rules, laws, or decisions about something 43key - n. a device that is used to open a lock or start an automobile 44nurse - n. a person who is trained to care for sick or injured people and who usually works in a hospital or doctor's office 45relocate - v. to move to a new place