We’ll have more from the south shortly as Keith Swift goes to the storm affected communities two days after to see villagers picking up the pieces and trying to re-assemble their lives. But before that we take a more reflective look at what we covered yesterday. Yes, things have been moving fast – so fast that we felt we needed to put some of the loss in context, some of the tragedy in the wider view. The sadness is immense – and understandable, and there’s no way to overstate it because really can you imagine a father biting into his son’s arm trying not to lose him in the furious flash flood? Almost unthinkable and we re-loaded our story from yesterday – to give it greater emotional resonance.
Jules Vasquez Reporting,
This is Hope Creek where there are so many stories of loss, but Philberto Roaches’s search is the most desperate one imaginable. He is a father looking for the body of his small son Jayden, wading through the floodwaters looking for something to make sense, to put closure to this tragedy.
Philberto Roches, Father of Missing Boy
“Right now I am just trying to find him and until I find him I will be relieved. If I don’t find him then I don’t what will be the result.”
Keith Swift,
How hard is this for you right now Mr. Roches?
Philberto Roches,
“The difficulty is because my wife is not here. She is in Guatemala City and it is just me and him alone and it is so hard for me to take this kind of disaster.”
His friend and his brother search on a raft.
Albert Roches, Uncle of Missing Boy
“The child of my brother is lost and we don’t know if we will be able to find him but as soon as this water goes down, I am sure we will help abundantly so as to be able to retrieve the body from wherever it is.”
Carmelita Castellanos was luckier.
Carmelita Castellanos, Flood Victim - Hope Creek
“My two children disappeared from me and I said I had lost them. I got caught by that tree right there and my next daughter was way there and my next baby was way at the next village. God helped him and he fought for his life and he is all scratch up and thing on his face but he fought for his life.”
Keith Swift,
This was around what time this morning?
Carmelita Castellanos,
“About 3 to 2:30. It just came sudden.”
While Olga Bol’s home is turned literally upside down and she has to clamber across furniture to try and find her things. She says water came in a flash forcing them to rush to safety. And now she hopes someone can help her put her life back together.
Olga Bol, Flood Victim - Hope Creek
“Because I lost everything; documents, diploma, my ID and everything. So I think we really really need them to come out and help us.”
And now in Hope Creek, a village overturned by the floods, hope, is all they have.
Daniel Cadle, Flood Victim - Hope Creek
“Well right now to be honest with you, we would really need some food and some clothes, maybe something to sleep on because our whole place is wet up. The whole house is filled with mud. It is in a devastating state because mud is up there 6 inches and everything is up one another.”
We couldn’t go to Daniel Cadle’s house, but the story is the same is all over where everything is upset and where you see these houses is not where they were originally like Mario Villafranco’s.
Mario Villafranco, Flood Victim - Hope Creek
“My house was over that corner and now it is in my neighbor’s lot. It seems like I pushed my neighbor out of his lot.”
Keith Swift,
Were you able to save anything?
Mario Villafranco,
“No, just my kids and me; no clothes, no nothing.”
Peer Inside and you see a portrait of a life in upheaval. While villagers have just walked on, carrying what few possessions or provisions they could save.
Down river near Sittee, some who ran for shelter at higher ground can’t get back.
Myrna Lamb, Stranded - Hope Creek
“Returning to my village I cannot reach my home and as you see there is water and I am just a little bit further is my house and I just can’t reach it.”
Lindbergh Mackenzie was lucky to get out in time from fast rising waters.
Lindbergh McKenzie, Flood Victim - Sittee River
“It was about 9 o’clock and actually when I came out the step was two feet high and the water was up six inches and I just went inside to wake the kids up and when I came back it was flushed with the deck and I had to wake them up and we decided to leave. After that it is here we ended up because nobody can move.”
Keith Swift,
You saved anything?
Lindbergh McKenzie,
“Nothing. My two vehicles, if you look down the street right there, my two vehicles are on the side and my house is there but actually I don’t trip about that, I trip about life. The main thing is that you can’t buy back a life but you can buy back a vehicle or something like that.”
Sadie Mckenzie is at the shelter.
Sadie McKenzie, Flood Victim - Sittee River
“Well right now we have people here who don’t have clothes, they have the last clothes on their back and we don’t have any food and we are in bad situation because most of our homes are ruined. We lost everything. We didn’t have the opportunity to save nothing. The water came too fast.”
Keith Swift,
What did you bring to the shelter with you?
Sadie McKenzie,
“Well I brought some bread that I had at home and some food that I had already cooked and clothes for my three grandsons. I didn’t manage to bring any for myself so I don’t have no clothes.”
Keith Swift,
What is the situation at your house right now?
Sittee Village Resident
“My husband went back and when he went back he said everything was wet up. Everything is we up. He told me it was only the sofa but now he says it is everything.”
Keith Swift,
What are you going to do, I see you have young kids.
Sittee Village Resident,
“Yes I have four of them. Uhm I don’t know because we were watching the weather to see if it held up so we could go back but now if everything is wet up - what are we gonna do?”
What is everyone going to do? It’s the shared sentiment of a community that’s overwhelmed and not quite sure how to rebuild their lives from the broken pieces they’ve been left with.
