Skip to main content
DONATE

After record hurricanes, consulate in Denver organizes relief for Guatemala

Email share
by Julio Sandoval, Kyle Cooke • Published on • Last modified on
Rocky Mountain PBS

DENVER — 2020 has been a challenging year, and the Atlantic hurricane season was no exception. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), this hurricane season produced 30 named storms, a record-high. Twelve of those 30 storms were hurricanes.

“The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season ramped up quickly and broke records across the board,” said Neil Jacobs, acting NOAA administrator, in a news release.

One of those record-breaking storms was Eta, which made landfall in Nicaragua on November 3 as a Category 4 hurricane. The BBC reports that more than 70 people across the Central American region died from the storm. At least 50 people were killed by landslides in Guatemala following Eta’s devastating rain and winds.

Two weeks later, on November 16 , Hurricane Iota made landfall—also over Nicaragua—as a Category 4 storm (it reached Category 5 levels before it reached land), once again causing devastating damage to the region. CNN reports it is the strongest storm to ever hit the area.

“The whole Central American region was hit by this tremendous hurricane,” said Juan Fernando Valey. “More than 675,000 people are with no place to live, nothing to wear, nothing to eat. It’s a very, very challenging moment for the whole Central American region, especially for Guatemala, the country that I represent here in Denver.”

Colorado Voices
After record hurricanes, Denverites send relief to Guatemala
4:26
Published:

Guatemala suffered devastating loss during a record hurricane season. Help is on the way.

Valey is the Consul General of Guatemala in Denver. While the eye of Iota’s storm never made it to Guatemala, the rain from a storm of that size caused significant damage. Valey said that with the amount of rivers in Guatemala, the flooding has been devastating, particularly for the “poor villages.”

“It was a complete disaster.”

Guatemala has 23 consulates across the country. Valey said the various consulates are organizing a “very popular initiative which consists of collection centers” in Houston, Miami, and Los Angeles. Those cities are home to the three largest Guatemalan consulates in the country.

Valley said it has been difficult to gather supplies and donations for the people of Guatemala and the Central American region because of the pandemic. Rules against public gatherings have complicated in-person collections of donated goods.

Because of this, a #FuerzaGuate digital campaign was launched. People can search that hashtag, which Valey said translates to mean “Be strong, Guatemala,” on social media to find resources and ways to help. One of the best ways to help, he said, is to buy items on the campaign’s Amazon wish list, things like non-perishable food, blankets, medicine, and temporary shelter.

The items will be sent to the consulate in Los Angeles, and then transported to Guatemala via ship in mid-December, according to Valey.

“One penny, one dollar—all is appreciated,” he said.

Spotlight Newsletter

Community stories from across Colorado and updates on your favorite PBS programs, in your inbox every Tuesday.

Sign up here!