Panabaj is the village that was worst struck by Stan. A mudslide at 3 or 4am in the morning totally buried an area the size of a few soccerfields. The houses in the area were made of sugar canes, and the people living there had no hope of survival. 400 people are still missing.We met a group of widows and a local Maya priest and had a memorial service on the grounds at the start of the mudslide. It was very disturbing standing on top of what used to be a village and know so many people were still there. The area was hit bad in 1992 as well. The government massacred many villagers, and as a result the people there now have been very negative towards aid from the government. We saw parts of the local hospital which had been completed in early 2005 to provide better services for pregnant women, only to be destroyed on October 5. It was sad to see the women cry for the loved ones they lost, one lady lost 14 family members, and it felt kind of intruding running around with a film camera and taping it. On the other hand, they begged us to spread the word, tell our friends and families about the situation there, and they were positive to the information work we'll do when we get home.
An update from Mexico is next...
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