Following the eruption of Guatemala’s Volcán de Fuego on Sunday, June 3, which resulted in scores of deaths and mind-boggling infrastructure damage, four members of Jalisco’s Red Cross are being sent to provide aid, together with 16 others from around Mexico.
They will undertake, among other things, search-and-rescue operations for those still missing, as well as provide medical assistance.
The four employees have copious experience in operations of this kind, including Joaquin Lazcano Felix of Zapotlanejo, who was sent to Ecuador after its 2016 earthquake, and to Mexico City following its own devastating quake last year.
“[This situation] is different than what we’ve been up against before,” said Lazcano Felix. “Nevertheless, we know these are rural areas, incommunicado and most likely without water or power.”
Meanwhile, Guatemala’s tourist industry is scrambling to ensure potential tourists that the bulk of the country remains unaffected and perfectly secure. The country’s tourism head, Jorge Mario Chajon, received a report that a whopping two-thirds of hoteliers had received cancellations as a result of the natural disaster.
The area primarily affected is, of course, the zone surrounding Volcán de Fuego, as well as nearby Volcán de Acatenango, where 200 people are still missing. Reports from the Associated Press indicate aid workers are currently providing succor to about 3,700 people countrywide.
Additionally, the Central American nation’s airport, shuttered for 21 hours after being smothered in ash, is back in business.