Preventive Resettlement of Populations at Risk of Disaster - GFDRR

4. Consequences of Tropical
Storm Stan in Panabaj
and Tz’anchaj
Tropical Storm Stan created significant damage in this
region. Although the National Institute of Seismology,
Volcanology, Meteorology & Hydrology (INSI-
VUMEH) warned Santiago Atitlán’s municipal authorities
and firefighters about adverse climate conditions,
the local or municipal plan for preventive actions did
not function appropriately.
In the early hours of October 5, 2005, in the space of just
eight minutes, a million cubic meters of rushing water,
stones and trees fell from the Tolimán volcano and partially
destroyed the district. Statistics for Panabaj and
Tz’anchaj reported 287 families that lost family members,
houses, possessions and crops: 600 were killed,
leaving 31 orphans and 77 widows, and 205 houses were
destroyed. The families were moved to shelters on land
donated by the Catholic Church for reconstruction of
their houses.
Box 6.2 Disasters in the Mayan Worldview
To understand the Panabaj case and the way reconstruction
was organized, it is necessary to understand Mayan beliefs
about natural phenomena and their view of the creation
and evolution of the universe.
In that cosmogony, natural disasters occur because of the
loss of moral, ethical, and cosmic-spiritual values. In Mayan
culture, everything in the environment is related to nature,
and principles such as harmony and equilibrium are
embedded in four fundamental elements: the creator and
shaper, the cosmos, nature, and the human being.
The Mayan cosmovision relates humans with the natural
elements in a close inter-dependency, creating the unity
needed for spiritual and material life with respect to events
that occur individually or collectively, with the passage of
time. Thus, a “natural disaster” is the result of disequilibrium
in relation to the elements in that cosmogony, i.e. a
lack of harmony among living beings. The Mayans perceived
that what happened with Tropical Storm Stan was a
failure to respect Mother Nature, because humans placed
themselves above those relations and, faced with the destruction
of the environment, created their destiny.
Natural phenomena do not occur because of divine will.
Rather, they are the result of an imbalance caused by human
beings themselves. Therefore, before founding a city
or settlement, nature has to be asked for permission and
forgiveness in a special ceremony. If nature acquiesces, it
will send clear signals to that effect in the form of fire.
Source: CONRED, 2006
5. Spontaneous Reaction of
Communities to the Disaster
In the first days after Tropical Storm Stan, people focused
on basic rescue and survival activities. Indigenous
organizations and families began relief work in
Santiago’s hardest-hit communities. Boatmen voluntarily
moved people from high-risk communities to safer
places. Female volunteers prepared the first supplies and
food for the communities that suffered the most, such
as in Panabaj. Many youths and men formed groups to
clear roads and paths.
For eight days, roads were blocked by landslides, the rain
continued, and it was impossible to send aid by air. The
first rescue team to reach the area was a military patrol
that had to walk three days to get there. Unfortunately,
and although its survival was at stake, the population
wanted the soldiers to withdraw and rejected their help,
because of the violent events of 1990. The military withdrew
without being able to deliver any assistance.
6. Reaction of Institutions and
Temporary Resettlement of
Families
The first social assessments were produced by the municipal
councils, public sector and non-governmental
organizations (NGOs). There was also a clear sense of
the need to organize the information available, prepare
a departmental diagnostic assessment, and implement
94 Preventive Resettlement of Populations at Risk of Disaster: Experiences from Latin America