October 18, 2011

 As the sun struggles to poke through the clouds in El Salvador, CRIPDES continue to evacuate communities and organize aide and temporary shelter for thousands of people from communities affected by the worst tropical storm/hurricane in recent history.  Here is the most recent information for the communities CRIPDES works in. 

 La Libertad:

The number of people in shelters from CRIPDES communities continues to rise. While the number has grown to 990 people evacuated to the Puerto de La Libertad and Teotepeque, CRIPDES is also now reporting that there are over 500 people in temporary shelters in Comasagua.  The road to the municipality has been cut off and CRIPDES is unable to visit.  Zulma, the CRIPDES national sistering coordinator, has not been able to get to home in Comasagua for days and currently in a shelter in Chiltiupan.

San Vicente:

CORDES in Tecoluca is now reporting that there are 3956 people in 12 shelters throughout the municipality.  The news papers are saying that Lower Lempa region has had the most flooding and evacuations on a national level. 

215 people from the community of Las Anonas are in the Pentecostal Church near El Playón.  Community leaders are worried because according to their estimations there are still 55 people (25 families) in Las Anonas.  They have been trying to coordinate with local authorities to evacuate the rest of the families, but have not been successful. They are also worried that the families left behind are running out of food.

Chalatenango

The CCR confirmed evacuations in the outlying communities of Arcatao and in the municipality of Los Ranchos.

They are also reporting that some houses in Guarjila, Ignacio Ellacuria, and El Higueral have collapsed or been damage by the rain.

In the town of Vainillas, Camalote, and Santa Cruz, all in the municipality of El Carrizal, there have been 57 families evacuated totaling 222 people in temporary shelters.

There have also been evacuations in El Zapotal of families affected by previous landslides and living in high risk areas.  They are currently sheltered in the Catholic Church.

Northern San Salvador

The roads have been cleared between Husisilapa and the surrounding communities.

Cinquera

The ARDM reports that they have not had any problems or emergencies but that they are collecting aide supplies for other communities.

CRIPDES National

CRIPDES and its regional organizers are working over time to respond to this disaster. In a report they released today they say that preliminary numbers show that CRIPDES regional offices are working with 781 families in shelters (in La Libertad, San Vicente, Northern San Salvador and parts of Suchitoto).  They are still waiting for information from Chalatenango.  The 781 families total 2287 people (1189 females and 1098 males).

Because of years of training and organizing, the CRIPDES regional offices have staff ready work with communities affected by natural disasters, as well as experience in responding at least four natural disasters:  Hurricane Mitch in 1998, the Earthquakes of 2001, Tropical Storm Stan in 2005 and Tropical Storm Ida in 2009.

 CRIPDES has the goal of strengthening organizing support in the shelters and /or communities in order to pull those affected by the emergency into the process of looking for solutions to their problems so that they don’t see themselves victims but as valuable people that can contribute to moving past the disaster.  This work will also help to improving mental health in a situation of loss and disaster. 

CRIPDES hopes to provide food, hygiene kits, some clothes and sleeping conditions for the families it has in shelters.  That means they will need $271,153 alone for supplies.  They also hope to provide mental health care to people in the shelters to help them deal with the trauma they are facing. 

Adding up the expenses CRIPDES has estimated that to respond to the disaster, they will need $2836,323.  We as Sister Cities have contributed $700 so far to disaster relief.  Please continue to support CRIPDES’s efforts by donating today.

To make a donation, please click here and email us the amount of your donation at  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  so that we can advance emergency funds as soon as possible.  Or if you would prefer to mail a check send it to U.S.-El Salvador Sister Cities, PO 95783, Seattle WA, 98145 (but again, please email us the amount so we can advance the funds). 

For the October 17^th Update about CRIPDES communities click here.