Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Trinidad (Agenzia Fides) - A state of emergency continues in Bolivia as a
result of flooding. Yesterday, the President declared the country a “national disaster” area, in light of the flooding that has caused at least 52 deaths, 4 missing persons, and 56, 634 families who have been forced to flee from their homes. Additional international aid has been sought to maintain the population for a duration of six months. The damage caused in Bolivia by the “La Niña” weather pattern, that according to various sources is more serious than last year, will maintain the country in a state of disaster for several months. Reconstruction could last up to a year.
In the city of Trinidad, with a population of 100,000, the people are living through difficult moments. Since Monday, water levels exceeded the height of the barriers that protected them, following 14 hours of continuous rains that same day. As of now, there are 22 hostels in the urban area and 6 in the rural zones, with an unconfirmed number of stranded families that exceeds 5,000. Caritas Beni, continues trying to find sufficient aid for these families most in need. Various civil authorities are working to coordinate work in the emergency state of Beni. The directors of Caritas Beni Maria Esther Chiriqui stated that Caritas has seen the need to aid
families who, in some cases, do not even have cooking facilities within the unstable housing where they are currently living.
Emergency equipment and humanitarian aid from Caritas of Bolivia, in a matter of hours from now, will move to the city of Trinity. Technical help and the considerable sum of money from the donation made by the Holy Father (see Fides 8/2/2008) will also be sent, in order to offer some remedy to the emergency state that the people are living through in this region. These funds will also be distributed among the areas of La Paz, Potosi, and Cochabamba where there are many victims as well. “Our presence in Beni is important for reinforcing the work that Caritas Beni has been carrying out in the hostels and among the victims. We will go in to help with technical aid and in matters of health and food supply, mainly,” said Hugo Perez, national head of emergencies and humanitarian aid for Caritas of Bolivia.
According to the latest statistics from Beni, 12,603 families have been left
stranded. This number was exceeded in the eastern region of Santa Cruz, the largest and richest part of the country, where the official report says there are 18, 686 victim families. In the central zone of Cochabamba, the number is 9,325, followed by
Chuquisaca (6,956), and La Paz (4, 903), among the most important areas. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 13/2/2008 righe 33, parole 446)
