Recovery efforts are underway after a massive earthquake rocks the country
DOLORES OCHOA—AP
A police officer in Pedernales, Ecuador, evaluates the damage to a structure that was destroyed by the earthquake.
On Saturday night, the Earth rumbled in Ecuador. The massive earthquake registered 7.8 on the Richter scale, a system that measures the force of earthquakes on a 10-point scale. The last time Ecuador experienced a natural disaster this severe was nearly 70 years ago, in 1949.
The quake knocked out power in many parts of the country and sent people fleeing to higher ground, many fearing a tsunami and the sudden collapse of the structures that were left standing after the initial impact.
GUILLERMO GRANJA—REUTERS
Debris litters the streets of the Manta, a city off of Ecuador’s Pacific coast.
The city of Portoviejo, which is about 20 miles off Ecuador’s Pacific coast, was among the hardest hit. In the costal town of Chamanga, an estimated 90% of homes where damaged. In Guayaquil, the roof of a shopping center and a highway overpass collapsed. After the quake, 230 aftershocks were registered by Ecuador’s Geophysics Institute.
“Our grief is very large, the tragedy is very large, but we’ll find the way to move forward,” said Ecaudor’s president, Raffael Correa. The president, who cut his overseas trip short to oversee relief efforts, declared the country in a state of emergency. As of Monday morning, at least 350 people are known to have lost their lives, and 2,500 people are reportedly injured.
Aid Pours In
The Spanish Red Cross reports that as many as 100,000 people need assistance, including 5,000 who need temporary housing. As Ecuadorean officials and military personnel were dispatched to help citizens in Portoviejo with search-and-rescue efforts, support has been pouring in from neighboring countries.
On Sunday, more than 3,000 packages of food and 8,000 sleeping kits were delivered to Ecuador. Venezuela and Colombia, where tremors of the quake were also felt, organized airlifts, while Chile and Mexico sent rescue teams. Spain sent a military plane with 47 search-and-rescue experts and rescue dogs. The road to recovery is long, but president Correa stands strong. “If our pain is immense,” he says, “still larger is the spirit of our people.”
DOLORES OCHOA—AP
A police officer in Pedernales, Ecuador, evaluates the damage to a structure that was destroyed by the earthquake.
On Saturday night, the Earth rumbled in Ecuador. The massive earthquake registered 7.8 on the Richter scale, a system that measures the force of earthquakes on a 10-point scale. The last time Ecuador experienced a natural disaster this severe was nearly 70 years ago, in 1949.
The quake knocked out power in many parts of the country and sent people fleeing to higher ground, many fearing a tsunami and the sudden collapse of the structures that were left standing after the initial impact.
GUILLERMO GRANJA—REUTERS
Debris litters the streets of the Manta, a city off of Ecuador’s Pacific coast.
The city of Portoviejo, which is about 20 miles off Ecuador’s Pacific coast, was among the hardest hit. In the costal town of Chamanga, an estimated 90% of homes where damaged. In Guayaquil, the roof of a shopping center and a highway overpass collapsed. After the quake, 230 aftershocks were registered by Ecuador’s Geophysics Institute.
“Our grief is very large, the tragedy is very large, but we’ll find the way to move forward,” said Ecaudor’s president, Raffael Correa. The president, who cut his overseas trip short to oversee relief efforts, declared the country in a state of emergency. As of Monday morning, at least 350 people are known to have lost their lives, and 2,500 people are reportedly injured.
Aid Pours In
The Spanish Red Cross reports that as many as 100,000 people need assistance, including 5,000 who need temporary housing. As Ecuadorean officials and military personnel were dispatched to help citizens in Portoviejo with search-and-rescue efforts, support has been pouring in from neighboring countries.
On Sunday, more than 3,000 packages of food and 8,000 sleeping kits were delivered to Ecuador. Venezuela and Colombia, where tremors of the quake were also felt, organized airlifts, while Chile and Mexico sent rescue teams. Spain sent a military plane with 47 search-and-rescue experts and rescue dogs. The road to recovery is long, but president Correa stands strong. “If our pain is immense,” he says, “still larger is the spirit of our people.”
This is a tragedy! What can kids do to help the people in in Ecuador?
Kids can bring the military, bring 4000 food, we can bring safety dogs find injured people. and bring stuff to help the people that are injured.
ReplyDeleteMatthew