Reflections on the Flooding

Monday, prior to my trip to Santa Cruz, I went with Pastor Carlos Hugo around town to look at the city. The situation is still very bad. There are tents everywhere, and people are collecting water in bottles, buckets, anything really since the water from the river is contaminated. You think you are ready to see these things, but driving past street after street that was flooded, watching people living in flooded homes, tents, I nearly broke down in tears. I think a similar sentiment hit the pastor, because he too was silent nearly the entire ride. We rode about 1/3 of the way around the ring road and there is still a significant portion of the road flooded/closed.

This morning in the paper, I read that they are predicting the current water level will last another 40 to 80 days due to rains that continue to fall on Cochabamba and Santa Cruz. This has got to be the worst flooding this region has seen in decades.