Guatemala, a year after the storms: A young community leader is helping her community recover
One year ago, the combined impact of the Eta and Iota storms caused widespread devastation in Guatemala and other Central American and Caribbean countries, affecting nearly 9.3 million people and displacing around 1.7 million people across the region.
The costs for developing countries to reduce their vulnerability to climate change could rise to as much as 300 billion dollars a year by 2030. To identify needs, to mobilize funds, and to use those funds most effectively — all of that requires the voices from local communities that have been underrepresented.
Let's get to know a young leader who embodies how a single person can help her community in the aftermath of a crisis.
Escaping the storms
Silvia Flores, age 22, lived with her mother and her 17-year-old brother in the village of El Sesteadero, in Guatemala.
As storms Eta and Iota approached, a community spirit welled in some.
“Kind-hearted people came to evacuate us and the animals in cars, but even so, many drowned,” says Silvia. She and her mother and brother moved to a shelter in another town.
Eventually, Silvia was able to return home. She didn’t know what to expect.
“There was a lot of mud. Many houses made of wood were damaged by humidity and termites,” Silvia reports. “The plantain, corn, and bean crops were completely destroyed.”
These were the crops they used to harvest to cover the basic household expenses. Their income was gone.
It wasn’t just Silvia. Eta and Iota destroyed many other houses and harvests, and increased food insecurity across the region. Between Eta, Iota and their interactions with other weather systems, as many as 1.5 million people in Guatemala were directly affected.
Something else was lost, too, a sense of security and home. “What we miss most,” Silvia says, “is seeing the green plantations and our farm full of animals.”
Putting life back together in the aftermath
The solidarity shown by government and people all over Guatemala — combined with the actions of FAO, UNDP, and the organization Refugio de la Niñez, which is supported by UNICEF and the Swedish Embassy — gave people the hope and the practical assistance they needed to get back on their feet.
“We started sowing again after the storms,” Silvia says. “But since some harvests take 8 or 9 months to grow, our family finances have been seriously damaged.”
Truth be told, Silvia and her family aren’t new to this kind of weather. In fact, over twenty years ago — when Silvia was just a toddler — the family left home because of another tropical storm.
Then, in 2010, the people of El Sesteadero once again confronted serious risks of flooding due a storm called Agatha.
But the damage caused by those other storms was nowhere near the scale of destruction from storms Eta and Iota.
Building a close-knit community
“Our community is in a location where aid almost did not arrive. It is a little-known location, since access is very difficult,” Silvia explains. “The UN came with other institutions, so that they could get to know the community and could help us.”
Since returning, Silvia has been granted the position of secretary of the communal council. "After this, we all became very close," Silvia says of the community.
A UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report has identified an urgent need for nature-based solutions such as protecting and restoring ecosystems. It also called for the engagement of local stakeholders, which help to make solutions more long-lasting.
Another UN report says that countries must equip people and organizations in every sector of society in order to deal with the climate crisis.
A theme emerges from these reports: local people must be involved in creating and carrying out solutions.
Silvia echoes that idea in more personal terms: “One gets involved in order to help the community, and for the satisfaction of knowing that you are doing something for others.”
Based on a story published in Spanish by the UNCT in Guatemala and UN News. Written by Carolina Lorenzo, Development Coordination Office (DCO). Editorial support provided by Paul VanDeCarr, DCO. Learn more about work taking place in Guatemala.UN.org. To learn more about the results of our work in this area and beyond, please visit the UNSDG Chair Report on DCO.
