Here a recent image of the volcano Pacaya, located 20 miles from Guatemala City.Clearly visible are the new craters that have opened up on the side of the volcano.
Tropical storm Agatha did more damage when it unleashed torrential rains on Saturday, 2 days after the eruption of the Pacaya.
At this moment thousands have been evacuated, and there are 17 confirmed deaths an 23 disappeared. The heavy rains completely saturated the earth which caused many landslides in the southern area, including the towns surrounding the capital. Bridges were torn away by swollen rivers. High waves hit the Pacific coast but subsided around midnight.
Many people, including my son, fled the proximity of the ocean for fear of flooding. They had to turn back when the roads leading away from the coast were blocked by landslides and they passed an anxious night on the beach. Today there is still no passage from the coast.
The good news was that Agatha suddenly turned away from Guatemala and moved towards Mexico, sparing the country another ordeal.
My wife and I drove to Antigua last night in the rain and found the road blocked in several places by trees that had been uprooted and landslides covering the road in debris. This morning traffic could resume and we are came home safely.
In Guatemala the main roads have been cleared, partly by the effort of government and citizens and partly by the deluge that sucked the sand into the storm drains. We´ll see what happens next.
My trip schedule is becoming critical. I had managed to get a reservation for Monday, because Continental assured us the airport would be reopened by noon. That scenario now becomes extremely unlikely and everybody now tries to get out via El Salvador. If I can get a flight for Tuesday, I still might make Chicago on time. I will know tomorrow morning and hope for the best!
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