None Nature Conservancy News Room Press Releases Search All Press Releases Christa M. Mehard Mesoamerica & Caribbean Region 831-333-1928 cmehard@tnc.org

Nature Conservancy Statement on the Impact of Hurricane Stan

Conservancy, Partners Assessing Ecological Impact, Building Action Plan for Recovery of Key Watersheds

As communities along the U.S. Gulf Coast and Florida struggle to get back to normal after Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma, another deadly hurricane has brought destruction to the Meso-American countries of Guatemala, Mexico, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Honduras. Mudslides and floods caused by Hurricane Stan have killed more than 1,150 people, with estimates rising to more than 2,000 lost. The storm also left more than 100,000 homeless.

Hurricane Stan decimated parts of Panajachel, Guatemala, where the Conservancy works with partners to protect the natural systems of this volcanic range in the Sierra Madre which we refer to as Islands in the Sky. On the shores of Lake Atitlán, a major mudslide destroyed the village of Panabaj, killing hundreds and obliterating its indigenous Mayan community. "The whole village was declared a cemetery by governmental authorities," said Conservancy project manager Jorge Cardona, speaking from Panajachel.

Houses, bridges, and roads in and around Panajachel were also destroyed, Cardona added. The water treatment plant was washed away, and waste poured into Lake Atitlán, an important source of drinking water and a popular tourist destination. Public health authorities fear an epidemic from the lack of clean drinking water and sanitary services to deal with accumulating piles of garbage.

“Atitlán is one of the country’s major coffee producing areas,” said Guatemala Country Director John Beavers. “In about two months, the coffee harvest will be in, and the crop loss as a result of this hurricane may be devastating.”

Partner organization Vivamos Mejor is leading immediate relief efforts in Panajachel, and Conservancy staff are helping to bring medicine, food, water and other basic supplies to the region. The Conservancy and other partners are assessing the hurricane's ecological impact and formulating an action plan for recovery of the key watersheds. Working together, they hope to help local farmers reestablish crops like organic coffee, and reestablish community-based ecotourism, a key source of income.

The Mexican state of Chiapas was also hit hard by Hurricane Stan. Alejandro Hernandez, the Conservancy's Chiapas Program manager, said that all of the communities in the area where the Conservancy works were badly damaged from the floods and remain largely inaccessible.

A great amount of water normally flows through this region of Chiapas. All of the rivers in the area overflowed their banks and wreaked havoc on the surrounding communities. The Rio Novillero, for example, widened from 80 to 800 meters. As in Guatemala, most of the coffee, banana, and other crops were completely flooded, or destroyed by landslides.

Staff and partners are sharing trucks, planes, and helicopters to reach La Sepultura, El Triunfo and La Encrucijada Biosphere Reserves, which were cut off when bridges and dirt access roads were destroyed. In addition, four operation centers have been established throughout the region to coordinate the efforts. To date, these humanitarian efforts have delivered more than 92 tons of food to 59 affected communities.

“Hurricane Stan affected an estimated 53,000 coffee producers in the region,” said Hernandez. “Because of damage to coffee plantations and road infrastructure, nearly half a million sacks of coffee will not be harvested. “For the nearly 120,000 who work the coffee harvest, the social repercussions are devastating.”

The Nature Conservancy's partners are engaged in relief work, and the Conservancy is supporting them in re-establishing our joint conservation programs.

For more information about The Nature Conservancy's response to Hurricane Stan:

• Where We Work: The Nature Conservancy in Central America — Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Honduras
• Statement: Impact of the Hurricanes in the Gulf Coast Region
  Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma were national tragedies and our hearts go out to those who have suffered unimaginable loss and displacement. The first priority must be to address the needs of Gulf Coast communities that are now coping with lost lives, homes, businesses, power and security. As these needs are met, focus must then turn to the damage caused to natural systems and resources.
• How We're Helping: Nature Conservancy Helps with Hurricane Relief Effort
  Nature Conservancy staff and volunteers from across the country recently volunteered in Hattiesburg, Mississippi on an assignment to help with federal Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.
• How We Work: Global Climate Change Initiative
• How You Can Help: Support Our Work to Restore the Natural Ecosystems Damaged by the Gulf Coast Hurricanes
  For more than 40 years, The Nature Conservancy has worked across the Gulf states of Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida and Texas to protect coastal habitat. Now, more than ever, action must be taken to restore these areas.