Soaked
by Staff | April 28, 2008 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Father Jim Manship surveys the impact of flooding in Ecuador, as he continues his bilingual Independent diary on his trip to the homeland of many of his newest congregants at St. Rose of Lima in Fair Haven.
(Find his previous dispatches here, here, here & here.)
Hello New Haven,
It is winter in the southern hemisphere. That mean the rainy season. But this winter has been the most rainy winter in 50 years. Perhaps some have heard about the floods that have afflicted many parts of Ecuador. The provinces that are along the coast are particularly hard hit. Many have died, more have lost their homes, and the main source of food and income, agriculture has been devastated. There is a serious concern of disease that can come with contaminated water and the pollution left behind as the flood waters recede.
In Quito, a large hole opened up in a major intersection of highways, known as the Trébol. Many years ago a river was channeled through a tunnel and cover. The volume of rain undermined the tunnel, causing the collapse. There are also several transit tunnels around Quito, they too have been flooded from time to time, causing major traffic jams.
Because the terrain is so hilly, we have seen many landslides (photo). While we were traveling from Loja to the sanctuary of the Virgin of Cisne, we encountered the results of an enormous landslide. Some three weeks ago, a whole of a mountain collapsed on the road, sweeping away 3 vehicles. The rescue personnel have not yet found one of the bodies.
Many of the roads that I have traveled have many potholes. One has to reduce one’s velocity because the shock would damage the car. These potholes are worst than the shock one gets when traversing the railroad crossing on Grand Avenue (if you can imagine that). No one is pleased with the maintenance given to the roads. The rains have just made a bad situation worse.
More later about my trip to the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Cisne.
Sincerely,
Father James Manship
* * * *
Desde de Ecuador: Muy Mojados
Hola New Haven,
Es el invierno en el hemisferio sur. Lo que significa es que hay mucha lluvia. Pero este invierno ha sido el más lluvioso de los últimos cincuenta años. Quizás ustedes han escuchado sobre las inundaciones que han afligido a muchos partes de Ecuador. Las provincias que están a lo largo de la costa han sufrido mucho. Muchas personas se habían fallecido, más han perdido sus casas y el agrícola de esta región ha sido devastado. Hay preocupación por las enfermedades que llegarán por la falta de agua potable y la contaminación dejada cuando las aguas se retrocedan.
Aquí en Quito, un hueco se abrió en el nexo de cuarto autopistas principales, el cual es conocido como el Trébol. Hace muchos años un río fue canalizado por un túnel y tapado para permitir la construcción de este nexo. Por el volumen de lluvia, el corriente de agua socavó el túnel. Los túneles de transito alrededor de Quito han estados cerrados por las inundaciones.
Porque el terreno es tan montañoso, hemos visto muchos derrumbes. Mientras viajábamos desde Loja al santuario de la Virgen del Cisne, encontramos las consecuencias de un enorme derrumbe. Hace tres semanas casi el lado de una montaña se derrumbó. El lodo llevó tres vehículos. Los bomberos no pueden encontrar todavía el cadáver de un chofer.
Muchas de las carreteras que he viajado tienen muchos baches. Hay que reducir la velocidad porque el choque dañaría a su carro. Estos baches son peores que el choque que tenemos cuando pasamos sobre el cruce de ferrocarril y Grand Ave. (Si se puede imaginar eso.) La infraestructura es esencial para el transporte de productos. Nadie es feliz por el mantenimiento de las carreteras. Las lluvias han empeorado la situación para todos.
Más adelante, mi peregrinación al Santuario de la Virgen del Cisne.
Atentamente,
Padre James Manship
Comments
Posted by: cedarhillresident
| April 28, 2008 2:01 PM
These potholes are worst than the shock one gets when traversing the railroad crossing on Grand Avenue
To funny! Still the landscape looks so pretty
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