El Salvador - GFDRR

88 | El Salvador: Damage, Loss, and Needs Assesment
effectively and definitively. The repeated landslides in La Leona and in La Panorámica, among many others,
are very well known and cause heavy losses.
Therefore, this initiative is proposed on a partial basis for now to improve the weakest cases. A good
method to decrease the social cost of this type of works consists of carrying out the works based on intensive
use of currently unemployed unskilled and semi-skilled labor. The implementation of this initiative
may generate some 200,000 productive jobs.
It is therefore worthwhile to begin with the initiative by reshaping those sectors whose separations
have caused enormous damages and losses, and the anticipated economic and social benefits will thus
exceed the costs to be incurred.
In the initial stage, an investment of US$70 million is proposed; this can later be replicated until the
vulnerability of many unsuitable embankments is drastically reduced. The proposed investment may lead
to significant savings in avoided costs, which may broadly justify this project.
g) Post-report Comments
Based on background information collected as of November 27, 2009, road damages totaled US$77
million. Subsequently, the Salvadoran counterpart obtained additional information; as of December 8,
2009 damages were assessed at US$103 million.
The difference between these two figures is explained by the increased number of damaged and collapsed
bridges observed in the updating of background information conducted by the Salvadoran counterpart.
In this regard, the CEPAL report stated that 26 bridges were damaged and 28 were collapsed,
while the abovementioned update indicates 61 damaged bridges and 38 collapsed bridges.
B.3.4 Communications Sector
The institution in charge of controlling the sector’s operation is the General Superintendency of Energy and
Telecommunications (Superintendencia General de Energía y Telecomunicaciones -SIGET). The system’s
operation is conducted by private companies.
The baseline data for estimates were contributed by SIGET, which provided information on minor
damages. One of these, referring to landline telephone service, refers to a cutoff in the system due to the
overflowing of the Jiboa River and to landslides; repairs were estimated at US$400,000.
Another damage, to mobile telephone service, was due to cuts in the fiber-optic route, also caused by
the overflowing of the Jiboa River and by landslides, with a rehabilitation cost of US$40,000.
No landline or mobile telephone company informed about variations in demand due to the disaster,
and thus losses were probably insignificant.