Mudslides, etc

As most of you probably know, I am in the region where the mudslides hit the hardest. San Antonio (the village where I live) was definately among the villages least affected. I imagine this is due to the fact that it is at the bottom of one of the few slopes that I have not been totally or greatly deforested. This is just my theory, however. I haven't actually read enough or talked to enough people to stand by it unequivically. Roots are good. And it makes sense...wasnt (and isnt) deforestation a major factor in the all the natural disaster destruction around bangladesh/nepal? I think so. Hmm. I will endevour to do a little googling.

I bike through Santa Catarina every day (well, the days I go into Panachel, anyway). You can still see the water/mud marks on all of the buildings along the road indicating where the level of the water (about five feet high or so). When I got here, they were clearing the last of the major mudpiles from the main street.

They had just completed a tuk-tuk bridge into Pana as well, which saves me having to bike 8 - 10 miles or so out of way on my bike! --;ore like you go down into the river bed (used to be really small before the storm and is now a few hudred meters?) and then the bridge is only maybe 20 feet long (was a stream before the storm, and is again). My bike ride in, by the way, is really, really tough! I am hoping it will improve my climbing! I think the problem is mainly that well, it is all hills, but that the road is covered in dirt and stones in most places (I think attributable to the dry season as much as Stan), and every climb is directly following a sharp curve covered in, as aforementioend, dirt and stone, so cant use any of the inertia from the downhill to get up the hill. And then, of course, there are a lot of pickups, and for those of you that have expererienced drivers in developing countries, well, i like to hug the side as much as I can!! There is another cleared area in the river bed as well for cars they had just gotten when I had gotten here that everyone is really excited about. You still definately need a 4*4 or pickup to get through that though. Saw a car attempt it the other day, which got completely stuck.

The first responders such as red cross, etc are all gone for the most part, but a lot of foreingers that are living here and other smaller organizations are working to raise money to get people clothed, seedlings to plant (starvation and hunger is usually a problem that comes later, since nobody has there farms anymore, but the major food shipments are done), houses built, etc. (Let me know if you want to donate money to any cause. )

Tourism is obviously down a lot, which is a lot of what people are talking about, since it is so depended on here for money.

Things are coming along though, from what I can see. The roads are pretty good, they are working on rebuilding septic systems etc, and well, recovering in general, I suppose.

I could write a ton more about all the destruction, but I figure if you were interesetd in that you would have read it in all the papers, etc"