Starting Over: Earthquake in Ecuador

ECUADOR- On April 16, 2016, the coastal town of Ecuador experienced an earthquake of a 7.8 magnitude, leaving destruction and desperation in its passing. Over 654 people died due to the quake, and 58 people are still registered as missing. Among the dead, there have been foreigners from Northern Ireland, Canada, and the U.S. Over hundreds of aftershocks have been reported. The hardest-hit area was a coastal province called Manabi, where at least 200 people died. According to a Fox News Latino article, ‘Dog who rescued 7 victims of Ecuador earthquake dies of exhaustion,’ “... 113 people had been rescued alive following the quake and more than 25000 people remained in shelters.” The towns of Ecuador have been rattled immensely, leaving people with no homes, food, or shelter. Two weeks ago, people were still trapped under the ruble including the “debris of homes, hotels, and businesses” according to the MSN article, ‘Anger erupts as 1700 still missing in Ecuador quake.’

The towns are in ruins, and the spirits are low. According to an CNN article, ‘Ecuador earthquake: Death toll jumps to 272; more than 2,5000 injured,’ “damage was widespread throughout the country.” The area mostly affected by the quake was loved by tourists. The rescue crews were working hard to find the bodies of the missing because they could smell the “stench of rotting bodies growing stronger under the baking sun” according to the MSN article. During the search, rescue crews used sniffer dogs and mechanical diggers in coastal towns such as Pedernales and Manta. However, the rescue efforts faced challenges such as landslides, which made it complicated to get to cities, and some towns were without electricity. As the days passed, there was less hope of finding survivors. At first, the people heard noises, but they only found corpses under the ruble. Now, it is more likely rescue crews are searching for corpses instead of survivors.

Fortunately, according to the MSN article, “hundreds of emergency workers from Columbia, Mexico, El Salvador, Spain, and other countries were helping overwhelmed Ecuadorian officials.” Among those countries, the U.S. sent aid workers over to Ecuador to help the country become stabilized. The survivors are now displaced with no clear drinking water and are at risk for mosquito-borne illnesses. Some families are not sleeping under shelters because they’re worried that the buildings will fall down on top of them during another quake. Moreover, “the quake damaged communications, transport links and sanitation, hampering relief efforts according to the BBC News article titled, ‘Ecuador earthquake: Aid agencies step up efforts.’ However, even in these harsh times, an organization called Save the Children has been working tirelessly to help educate the children. In Pedernales, the town’s soccer stadium was used as a relief center and morgue.

Ecuador has a long road to recovery. The money saved for emergencies cannot cover the amount of money needed to fix the problems the earthquake caused, as it was Ecuador’s worst quake in 40 years. Ecuador already had a fragile economy, and the earthquake has resulted in more debt. The country was not prepared for a disaster of this magnitude. Funerals have begun in the worst affected towns including Portovejo and Pedernales. It will take years to rebuild this country that is already among the poorest in the world. However, the people are still hopeful that they will see brighter days in the future.

Sources:

Panoussian, Florence. (19 Apr. 2016). Anger erupts as 1,700 still missing in Ecuador quake. Retrieved from http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/anger-erupts-as-1700-still-missing-in-ecuador-quake/ar-BBrYICF?ocid=ansmsnnews11

BBC News. (19 Apr. 2016). Ecuador earthquake: Aid agencies step up efforts. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-36086575

Ellis, Ralph. Karlml, Faith. Ansarl, Azadeh. Gallon, Natalie. (18 Apr. 2016). Ecuador earthquake: Death toll jumps to 272; more than 2,500 injured. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/17/americas/ecuador-deadly-earthquake/index.html

The Irish Times. (19 Apr. 2016). Ecuador earthquake death toll rises as hope for survivors fades. Retrieved from http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/ecuador-earthquake-death-toll-rises-as-hope-for-survivors-fades-1.2615873

Begnaud, David. (19 Apr. 2016). Death toll nears 500 from Ecuador earthquake. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/news/death-toll-nears-500-from-ecuador-earthquake/

Fox News Latino. (26 Apr. 2016) Dog who rescued 7 victims of Ecuador earthquake dies of exhaustion. Retrieved from http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2016/04/26/dog-who-rescued-7-victims-ecuador-earthquake-dies-from-exhaustion/