Rebuild a Community Destroyed by Hurricane Odile

Las Pacas suffered the most damage and registered the greatest need, in the absence of any support networks, of all Olazul’s partner communities in the wake of Hurricane Odile. The storm surge and high winds destroyed most of the structures in this remote community and killed half of their chickens. Don Santiago and his sister Matilde weathered the storm in their truck, watching their home torn apart.

Key members of the Las Pacas community – principally Don Santiago, his daughter Betsa, his sister Mati and her husband Carlos – have worked tirelessly over the past several months. They have completely reconstructed their two-bedroom house with kitchen and living area. They have also made additional improvements, including construction of two composting toilets.

The community also continues to clean up and sort through the wreckage from Hurricane Odile for usable materials. There are now many neat piles of broken wood and other items around Las Pacas that will either be disposed of or repurposed for future use.

Don Santiago expresses his deepest gratitude for helping his community start over. He takes pride in the reconstruction of Las Pacas since Hurricane Odile and he hopes you take pride in supporting their achievements too!