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17 January 2001 The 11-km drive to the coffee-growing village of Comasagua along a dusty road took the Red Cross assessment team one and a half hours - but at least they were finally able to access this community of 15,000 people that had been cut off from the capital, San Salvador, since Saturday's earthquake, blocked by landslides. "When we finally reached Comasagua, it looked like a bomb had hit the village," said Xavier Castellanos, the Federation's information delegate in El Salvador. "More than 80% of the houses were damaged." Up to 40 people are feared to have died in a mudslide triggered by the earthquake. The inhabitants are still in a daze, unable to comprehend the disaster that knocked their normal lifestyle upside down. Many of them just sit outside what is left of their houses looking into nowhere. An 85-year-old man points to a few pieces of wood lying on the ground; it used to be his house. A strong smell of urine hangs in the air. It is only 14 years since a heavy earthquake last hit this same area. These coffee workers know the risks of rebuilding their houses in the same place, but most of them will still build their homes in the same place they always have been. "With the focus shifting from rescue to recovery, thought must now be given to rebuilding the homes and lives of communities like this," says Xavier Castellanos. "Clean water, food, shelter and psychological support are the immediate needs." The Red Cross plans to return to Comasagua later on Wednesday with supplies of food, water and plastic sheeting to build temporary shelters. Aftershocks continue to rock the area; there were four strong shocks on Tuesday, which damaged more houses and create further panic and unease among local people. The earthquake has left more than 80,000 people homeless, many of whom are living out in the open. People feel safer sleeping outdoors than living in homes that are either damaged - or vulnerable to aftershocks. Fortunately, the climate in this area is warm and dry at this time of the year. On Tuesday, Red Cross teams managed to reach all the communities that had been cut off since the earthquake, and a clearer picture of the overall damage began to emerge. Some 1,000 Salvadorean Red Cross volunteers continue to work actively to assist those affected by the earthquake, distributing relief items. Assessment teams are visiting damaged areas, carrying out needs assessments and ascertaining the number of people dead and injured, and the number of houses severely damaged and partly damaged. The Salvador Red Cross has decided it will concentrate on emergency food distributions over next two to three weeks to those identified by the assessments as most in need. Food can be bought locally. Water and sanitation needs are the other main priority, particularly for people living in temporary shelters, and the Red Cross societies working in El Salvador are discussing how best this can be addressed. A Federation appeal for assistance has so far raised more than two million Swiss francs, and a more detailed appeal will be launched when the results of the evaluations give a clearer picture of the short- and long-term needs of those whose lives have been devastated. ** The Red Cross has set up a message board on the web site of its regional delegation, where people can send messages to their relatives in El Salvador. This can be found at www. cruzrojahumanidad.org. |
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Red
Cross teams have now managed to access communities that had been cut
off by damaged roads and landslides. 
