MAMEYES-7 October 1985-PONCE, PR
(Antigua input anniversary)
The tragic landslide that buried a mountain in a community own homes under mud in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico.
Mameyes 1985 photos Google Images
View from the Vigia, photo by Coquette @ 2005 This page is dedicated Isabel Berrios, better known as Chave. Who was master of the Head Start Program Mameyes and very dear friend of our family. His two daughters, Nilda and Isa, Don Marcos Berrios, his father and his stepson, Luis Gonzalez. And to all our Ponceños there dead. A special greeting to family and friends as I remember them forever.
Chave: I remember with great affection. Thanks for sharing your child at that party last days of life. Your body was not found, but even so we've never forgotten and never will. God rest his soul. Love, your friends.
In 1985 there was a tropical valley named Elizabeth, who rained on the island of Puerto Rico an average of 22 inches of rain in 24 hours on the south-central area. As a result of massive land deslisamientos rains occurred right through the island.
One such deslisamientos Mameyes happened in the neighborhood of the city of Ponce, south of the island. This sector is on the mountain known as El Vigia, where are located the historical monuments / architectural La Cruceta and El Castillo Serralles.
Mameyes was inhabited by people with limited economic resources. My friends and classmates, their families and neighbors who remember this day, and went in that morning.
The term Mameyes deslisamiento in burying hundreds of Ponce / mameyanos, (129), and caused severe damage to the area. More than 100 homes were destroyed. Households that suffered damage were later closed because the area was declared uninhabitable Mameyes ground instability. This deslisamiento of land, they calculated, could have killed 300 people, was one of the most disastrous events of history.
I remember it was a 7 October 1985 and that at about 3:30 am the ground began to slide creating a brutal collapse of mud homes. Hundreds of people looking for their loved ones and family through the mud that covered everything. The bodies were buried and were removed and carried to the small school in the neighborhood.
The rescue was very difficult because the streets were narrow for heavy equipment and sophisticated. Caused the helicopters to fly more landslides. The different branches of government, state and federal efforts made to locate survivors, but in vain, in a few hours was just an effort to extract corpses.
Among the countries that came to help us make the rescue were the United States, Mexico, France and Venezuela, who had brought their teams to these cases, economic, human and machinery. Today, even the graves of people who could be drawn. Is that in the early days signs of people were heard but gradually caught already stopped listening. When they found the bodies of the victims were wrapped in their matreses and some in their cribs. I will never forget the image of a baby who was taken out of mud, had only his disposable diaper was gargantuan job and by the absorption of water. I thought they could not survive so much pain and here I am telling you, because we never forget our own.
will never know if some survived the slide in the mud, without food, water, and how hot it is in Ponce. The government built a monument to commemorate the victims sector.
back to the past:
Barbosa and her friend Norma Isabel Berrios (Chave)
Norma was a teacher of the Head Start program Mameyes was Chave and his companion were teaching together the children of the neighborhood Mameyes. A few months before the tragedy Norma transfers them to the Head Start Program of the Ponce Rosales. Two companions, who besides friends were gossips, much regretted the separation but it was a working bureaucracy.
The Standard on 5 October Chave invited to a party he had for his grandson which completed its first year. That afternoon was spent of the most well then that is just the standard baby shower invites Chave to stay for coffee.
While taking his coffee, Chave Norma shared her plans for the future that was to buy a house off Mameyes sector and begin a new chapter in his life. They were having great when Chave says you have to go because I had to care for their grandchildren for her oldest daughter went to the movies with her husband. Norma insists that she ought to stay home and Chave says no, because after caring for her grandchildren wanted to go with his other two daughters were alone in Mameyes.
be Chave care for their grandchildren and midnight insists to his eldest daughter to take her to Mameyes. His daughter says that it's raining a lot but Chave says he wants to be with his other two daughters and also "throw an eye" to his father who lived in the house next door. Chave The son takes up Mameyes, leaving her small daughter, Norma goddaughter, his eldest daughter. That was the last time we saw Chave.
The weather was bad, and the light was gone, so it happened overnight Sunday, and I remember that my sister heard the horrible news radio reported people as the river was carried home and the disappeared, we were suffering and crying all the victims.
Then the dawn and the tragedy was news Mameyes. Norma runs away to the neighborhood to meet his friend. Find it and her friend's house and many of his students did not exist. Along with rescue squads Norma was dedicated to the difficult task of recognizing the bodies. "It was horrible to acknowledge my students, their parents, neighbors and found Chave's father but not her."
The governor of Puerto Rico at that time was the Hon Henandez Rafael Colon, I reach the area of \u200b\u200bthe tragedy and asked Norma with a cry that choked her to please help him find his friend. The governor moved hold him tight and says that if they seek. But hundreds were trapped and Chave was one of them, along with his two daughters and his stepson.
Standard was hoping every day, but then closed the area due to instability and disease. Norma spent many months trying to recover and live in nightmares so sad moments happened during those days in Mameyes. Standard
acutalmente this recall, lives in Ponce.
Children of Mameyes:
Taken from a report by Nydia Bauza's First Time (Panorama)
There were about eight children who did some drawings on Friday, October 3, 1985 that after the tragedy became relevant news of where they questioned whether it was casual omen or Dad. These drawings are preserved in the historical record of Ponce.
The eight children in the Head Start Program Mameyes:
David, Rose, Maria de Lourdes, Wanda, Angel Joel, Hobraian , Samuel, and Jose Luis. These children did some drawings in crayons which later was said to premonition.
"Almost all drew crosses, some black and brown. They also drew a ray, one painted a house "upside down" and another recreated the mountain collapsing. Two of them, David and Hobraian, died in the collapse. "Conto Miracles.
Milagros Rodriguez, Head Start teacher, explained that he discussed the issue of public servants, and had nothing to do with what the children wanted to express in their drawings. That Friday was also concluded the birthday of David and Hobraian in an atmosphere of joy for living.
Before leaving home, Milagros remember that some of the parents held hands and sang children's song "We Are the World", which was fashionable at the time and so the day was over. Already
the tragedy, the second grade teacher, Ruth Cedeño, is set to the drawings of children and recounted what happened. The press gave much coverage to these pictures that were taken Washington DC, and were analyzed by psychologists and specialists. To Walter Mercado said he was impressed that the children had Biblical names.
Ruth Cedeño emphasized that his godson David, one of the children died in the tragedy, "had drawn her home but had a cross above and below and it could not find him nor his brother. They slept together "also remembered as one of his students, Carlitos, was found dead hugged his mother who was taking him to school every day.
Cedeño Milagros Rodriguez and Ruth are both school teachers Juan Morel Campos.
And these tales always end with good memories Mameyes people who were very good people.
Notes:
Standard Jonmicol = Grandma
Milagros Rodriguez = One of the teachers of Head Start to Flirt
Ruth Cedeño = Mother of "Tony" who was a member of the group "The Boys" with Chayanne and Coquette classmate
Children's Party = The first year of our blogger friend Jonmicol. This was also the first day of his life in that way without difficulty, of course, to tell Jon and run party.
Hobraian = Hobraiam It became the name that was given to a very special child was born just a month after the tragedy. (Nov 8). Hobraian tell me that the child died, was trigeno green eyes. The current is of white complexion Hobraiam but has green eyes.
Drawings: According to the Master Standard, the drawings made by these eight children, were not any premonition. These children simply expressed their creativity in the community where they lived. Mameyes consisted of houses on a mountain, which in view of a child gravitated. The children drew crosses were not more than the image of the cross that extends to the top of the imposing mountain. The news was sensational, according to Norma, and nobody was given the task of seeing that children made a picture of their community, but not the harbinger of a tragedy.
Juan Morel Campos School -school Flirt (first and fourth grade elementary)
Reported by Coquette
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