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