The landslide that caused several families to be affected in the Alausí canton, generated a great impact at the local and national level. On Sunday, March 26, in the affected area, a before and after was marked in the daily life of the inhabitants who were affected, changing their lives forever. The voice of the people in the face of the natural disaster in the Alausí canton
Actions. Citizens have different points of view on this situation. A topic that generates debate in different social spheres.
Sepal. José Zamora, a citizen, explained “people are desperately looking for their relatives with shovels and picks, this was seen through different digital media, however, the help is not quickly noticed. So there are deaths and damage to material things. People are suffering from their losses, but people did not comply with the measures and they did not see the danger because one does not play with nature”.
Fact. Cumandá Pérez, a citizen, mentioned that, “It is unfortunate that our brothers from Alausí are going through these bad times that could be prevented, I believe that there was a lack of incentive from the authorities, to provide them with shelters so that at least at night they can withdraw from their homes.
Reality. “There was already a study and they knew that this could happen, sometimes we cling to material things and do not see the difficulty of the problem. There was a lot of negligence from the authorities, because knowing what could happen, they had to evacuate or even force in that sector. By ignoring and not raising awareness, this disaster could have been prevented,” said Juan Paucar, from Riobambeño.
Namely. “The situation was already on alert for the people due to the multiple fissures in the earth and the rainy season. Unfortunately, sometimes we cling to material things, even though they are achieved with a lot of effort, they had to prioritize the health of their relatives and look for other mechanisms to get out of this problem. Also, this event has very high consequences at an economic level, without putting health and transportation in the background for this area,” explained Remigio Guamán.
Aid. The material losses and the death of people could have been prevented by the quick and responsible action of the authorities and those affected, however, the situation calls into question the effectiveness of the authorities.