Received a call this morning that there is activity going on at where the Blue bridge used to be (Bario norte, Jucanya). Ironicly this "old blue bridge" was a recycled part of our last disastre from 2005, Stan, and has now a third life, 1 Km down the river where the hamaca bridge used to be. Up on arrival i spoke to the "presidente del consejo comunitario de Desarrollo" (COCODE) who told me the 214 families, who have been hard hit in this low part of town, were "bastante" occupied cleaning their houses of meters of mud and rocks that came in during Agatha. "It took some time, but today we are able to start the work on a temporal bridge for the neighbourhood. We collected money amongst the families and were able to get the Q 800 that we needed for buying materials. Further more we got donated the machinery and manpower from 'Transporte Minor', part of our neighbourhood".
Noé explained that the money was much needed for repairing the natural mountainwater source that the neighbourhood depends on, but the amount was not enough to take care of it now.
If anyone has the resources / time to help this neighbourhood with the repairs of their water source. You can contact the head of the COCODE:
A little bit down the river you can see the old tuktuk bridge, in better state then it was before Agatha.
Seeing these neighbourhood projects, being accomplished with a minimal of resources, in just a matter of hours, makes you proud to be living here. Even before Stan, i felt the good vibe from the locals around Lake Atitlan, they had my cold Dutch respect and sometimes (it ain't easy..) i got it back. To be living in a country, where people consider the needs of their neighbours the same priority as that of themselfs, is just wonderful.
[Read more for photos]
Material being brought down by a neighborhood member over the "entrance".
Work in progress, machinery donated by "Transporte Minor". COCODE Noé, coordinating (blue cap).
The bridge well on its way, Venicio came in to handle the last things missing. He's been doing good work all over town.
Trucks coming from Santa Catarina with mud, thats being put to use in Panajachel. These trucks are still coming in today, 11 days after "Agatha"
The old TukTuk bridge, now brand new. You see a part of the old blue bridge. Some chatarra guys are collecting and are interested in pieces of it. The neighborhood thinks differently.
The chatarra guys think that all that lays around is theirs to take. The neighbours do not agree. The chatarra guys are stuborn and press on.
Some words, fists and 3 police cars with 20 men later, and we move on. The neighborhood wins this one.
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