Hector and a friend pitched in with the sandbag effort in San Rafael. Hector’s home was one of the worst affected by a major storm this June.
Dirt roads formed muddy rivers after the storm in San Rafael. The village does not have plumbing to divert rainwater down the surrounding hillside.
HOUSING
“This tells me that we are a source of support for them, but they are also independent.”
– Rocio González,
Satellite Coordinator
Heavy rains threaten homes, school attendance, and livelihoods in San Rafael
San Rafael community members show leadership and generosity to remedy the damage
Not even half-way through the rainy season, the village of San Rafael suffered one of the most destructive storms it has experienced in some time. Because San Rafael cannot count on plumbing or tubing to divert rain water that comes down the surrounding mountains, dirt roads can easily turn into muddy rivers with strong currents.
This is exactly what happened on June 25, as twelve-year-old Hector Turuy, a Common Hope affiliate, found his home filling with flood water, and hurried to carry his younger brothers and sisters to safety. Hector and his mother, Felisa, didn’t have time to remove all of their belongings before the house filled with water. They lost food, clothing, shoes, and even three piglets that the family had planned to sell for about $30 each. This was a great loss for the family, considering their income is less than $100 a month.
The circumstances were unfortunate, but Rocio González, site coordinator for San Rafael, was heartened by how the community joined forces to help the families that were most affected. “They didn’t call us right away; they resolved the issue on their own as much as they could,” she says, “and this tells me that we are a source of support for them, but that they are also independent.”
Rocio found out about the flooding the next week when Hector, normally a dedicated student, wasn’t at school. Felisa told Rocio that Hector was ashamed to go back to school because all of his supplies had been ruined in the flood. Then, two other affiliated families that had been affected by the storm asked if there was anything Common Hope could do to help.
After discussing the problem with community leaders in San Rafael, Common Hope bought 250 sacks, and community members worked together to fill them with sand and rocks. They placed the sacks on affected streets, strategically filling areas where the rivers had formed. Not only the affected families but other families from the community came to lend a hand. For many of the men, this meant missing a day of work, and, more important, sacrificing a day of wages. “That day, their community was a higher priority than work,” Rocio says.
Now, the families have a temporary solution that will hopefully prevent the rain water from forming a river, but the problem is far from being entirely resolved. “It was an immediate measure we had to take, but it’s not the solution to the problem,” says Rocio. Rocio will continue support community members in petitioning the government to install tubing and plumbing, a bridge, and more trees to reverse the deforestation that causes the rainwater to form these problematic rivers.
