Four days after quake, aid only just starting to reach rural Mexico

World Today

In some parts of rural Mexico, aid is only now arriving, four days after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck the country.

CGTN’s Dan Collyns reports.

Tens of thousands of homes and businesses have been damaged beyond repair. And in rural Mexico, that means you’re on your own, for awhile at least.

In the countryside, around 50 km from the epicenter of this deadly quake, adobe mud-brick constructions are common—and they’re the first to fall when the earth shakes.

In Tetela del Volcan, most people were working the land when the earthquake hit. Local authorities say some three thousand houses have been damaged

“This one was too strong,” Andrea Pi, who experienced the quake said. “We’ve seen earthquakes but not like this, and not here. There are people who lost their entire houses, they lost everything and are sleeping under tarpaulins.”

Volunteers are helping people restore their damaged homes, even if the homes haven’t been knocked down. Meanwhile, help based entirely on donations continues to arrive.

“As volunteers we, ourselves, are taking the food to the places where it’s most needed rather than to other collection centers where they might just sit there,” says Miguel, a volunteer. “We want to deliver it right into the hands of the people who most need it.”

Beyond short-term damage, the quake could bring future problems.

According to locals, a 700 meter-long crack opened up on the side of a mountain the day after the earthquake struck.

Mario Martinez, a geologist, explained that, “As a precaution, we told the authorities to evacuate the houses below so there isn’t an unexpected tragedy. We have only made a superficial examination so far.”

Some 400 people have had to leave their homes until further notice— an unfortunate consequence of living in one of the most seismic regions on earth.