{"id":8291,"date":"2021-02-09T16:11:47","date_gmt":"2021-02-10T00:11:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/?p=8291"},"modified":"2021-03-21T19:37:33","modified_gmt":"2021-03-22T03:37:33","slug":"natural-disasters-and-the-governments-questionable-responses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/environment\/natural-disasters-and-the-governments-questionable-responses\/?lang=en","title":{"rendered":"Natural Disasters and the Government’s Questionable Responses"},"content":{"rendered":"

By: Felipe Sarti Casta\u00f1eda<\/strong><\/p>\n

During the last twenty-one years, that is, since the beginning of the decade, Guatemala has been battered by various natural disasters similar to those in which we find ourselves; adding to the sanitation crisis created by CoVid-19.\u00a0 We are a country vulnerable to these types of phenomena exacerbated by climate change.\u00a0 Historically, the government has not wanted to, nor been capable of promoting preventative policies, conscientiousness-raising and education.\u00a0 In the end, the governmental agencies involved, when faced with serious damage caused by these types of tragedies, take the easy way out by diminishing, whenever possible, property damage as well as the resulting physical and psychological problems.<\/span><\/p>\n

During these events, we have been able to verify that the first response, the most important one, given the absence of state and local government action, comes directly from the people through various methods of organizing, thus allowing them to offer mutual assistance of great emotional value during the first hours immediately following a tragedy.\u00a0 Personally, I, along with my ECAP colleagues, have had the opportunity to offer psycho-social support in affected communities.\u00a0 These experiences have been emotionally difficult for each of us individually, and for the institution.\u00a0 And at the same time we have learned much from watching the responses organized by the people affected.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The Community Action Team for Social Action (ECAP) was founded in 1997.\u00a0 Its purpose being to offer emotional support to victimized and survival populations from the counterinsurgency carried out by the army and its paramilitary groups against civilian populations, especially those in the interior of the country.\u00a0 Also, we began to support victims and survivors of natural disasters because we also thought of them as having suffered serious violations of their human rights.\u00a0 Part of work was also to focus on cases known as transitional justice where high-ranking national figures in the armed forces have been named and charged.\u00a0 For example those involved in the Dos Erres Massacre, the Ixchil Genocide, the cases of Molina Theissen, Sepur Zarco, Rio Negro and the S\u00e1nchez Plan. In three of the cases there were court proceedings and sentences by the Interamerican Court of Human Rights and in Guatemalan courts, i.e. S\u00e1nchez Plan, the Dos Erres Massacre and the Rio Negro Massacre.\u00a0 We also address other problematic, systemic issues, e.g. violence based on gender, issues around migration and violent displacement of peoples from their lands and the struggle against extractive megaprojects.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>These simultaneous experiences of learning and of dealing with issues has turned us into a national example in the area of psycho-social activities, which would not have been possible without the contributions of those who are communally based in our country.\u00a0 Those, who with their varying\u00a0 world-visions have clear, definite paths in the search for the best way to live.\u00a0 ECAP is shaped by women and men from different ethnic groups, all with professional training in social psychology, who promote community mental health, human rights and struggles for (regaining) territory.\u00a0 Our pledge is to continue strengthening a psychology of liberation and service to our peoples.<\/span><\/p>\n

I have been present during the landslide (triggered by Hurricane Stan’s torrential rains) in Panabaj, Santiago Atitl\u00e1n; Hurricane Agatha which hit the southern Pacific coast; and the Cambray mudslides in Santa Catarina Pinula.\u00a0 These three experiences allowed me to make the following observations:<\/span><\/p>\n