Overexposed to the images coming out of Haiti? Then this may seem like nothing in comparison: in Bolivia this month over 26,000 families have lost their homes due to heavy rains and flooding.
Last week in Bella Vista in the southern part of the city, a landslide occurred in the early morning levelling hundreds of houses. Thankfully nobody was injured, which is completely amazing when you see the aftermath.
The continuous sprawl of shoddy and probably illegal houses could not compete with the power of nature; and at least 200 active rivers that run beneath La Paz, making much of the city akin to a house of cards.
So why do they keep building here I ask?
When I was scrambling through the ruins shooting I was surprised, as many residents were happy just to salvage whatever they could digging out buried possesions with their bare hands: a radio, a crunched fridge, a child's doll, a mattress, a door, or their favourite blanket. It's like they've done this all before.
Most of the homeless have now moved on and many are now living in makeshift tents without amenities. A prompt visit by President Evo Morales lifted the spirits of the victims and numerous donations were offered by the public.
This is all very new to me, to be able to cross that line and stride past the Bolivian Military Police with my shiny new International Press Credentials, but I struggle with reporting on disasters where humans are in distress.
It makes me feel a bit devious and intrusive. Yet when I am this close to life and death and witness the strength and power of the human spirit in the poorest country in South America, it's uplifting, it's inspiring, it's like a drug and I just can't get enough.
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