What Comes Next?

In the last week of July, Dr. Francisco Arredondo interviewed the Mayor of Escuintla, Abraham Rivera, where he expresses the following: The Mayor is very grateful for the response and help of many Guatemalans and friends of the International Sector, but he says there is still much to be done. "We are worried about the rainy season as there is a lot of sedimentation and volcanic material in the ravines that can cause lahars." The remaining evacuation routes are not the most accessible because they are dirt roads and there are several rivers in their path that must be crossed, which grow with during the intense afternoon storms during the wet season. The mayor has asked for support from the Minister of Communications to build pedestrian bridges that can be used for future emergency evacuations. The Mayor expresses that this tragedy has had several stages and that we are entering the most complicated stage, since there are many families that will not be able to return to what were once their homes. "The most difficult part will be to rebuild the lives of all the villagers."He urges people to continue to provide support and assistance to these families.