PORTFOLIO
Earthquake Hits Mexico
Mat Tuck
​
A devastating earthquake hit Mexico on Tuesday, September 19. The earthquake caused the collapse of 44 buildings in Mexico City alone. The death toll stands at 230 across five states and may continue to rise.
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
(Image courtesy of Nbcnews.com)
​
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake struck at about 2:15 p.m. on Tuesday and had a magnitude of 7.1. The epicenter was in the state of Puebla, about 80 miles southeast of Mexico City.
​
An even more powerful 8.1 magnitude earthquake hit the country two weeks earlier and killed about 90 people. It was Mexico's strongest earthquake in 100 years. However, the damages were much less widespread than the 7.1 quake of Tuesday afternoon. One of the reasons the more recent quake was deadlier despite being weaker is that it hit on land while the previous quake hit off the cost of southern Mexico. Another contributing factor to the damages is that much of Mexico City is built on former lakebed. According to the MSN website, this means the soil can amplify the effects of earthquakes centered hundreds of miles away.
​
The death toll includes 100 people killed in the autonomous district of Mexico City, 69 in Morelos, 43 in the state of Puebla, 13 in Mexico state, four in Guerrero state and one in Oaxaca state.
Perhaps most heart-wrenching was the collapse of a three-story school building that pancaked into a pile of concrete rubble on the south side of Mexico City. Rescue workers extracted at least 25 bodies from the ruins, all but four of them children. According to Mexican education minister Aurelio Nuño Mayer, 11 people were rescued alive from the school’s wreckage but 30 others remained missing as of 2:00 a.m. Wednesday morning.
​
Hundreds of people gathered at the sites of dozens of collapsed buildings. They came bringing water, food and safety supplies. All sorts of brave men and women asked rescue workers how they might help. According to the LA Times website, “There were so many of them that sometimes they had to be turned away.”
​
According to the Associated Press, rescue workers cheered after finding a woman alive under rubble in the Mexico City neighborhood of Roma. They quickly quieted down to listen for calls from more survivors.
​
According to the NBC News website, President Enrique Peña Nieto was on a flight to Oaxaca when the quake struck. He later issued a video message urging the public to remain calm. "The priority at this moment is to keep rescuing people who are still trapped and to give medical attention to the injured people," Peña Nieto added. Schools were cancelled today to help aid in the decongesting of the busy streets as rescue workers and volunteers continued the search. "As Mexicans, we have experienced difficult times because of earthquakes in the past. Nieto said in his video message. “And we have learned to respond with dedication and a spirit of solidarity.”
President Donald Trump tweeted Tuesday, "God bless the people of Mexico City. We are with you and will be there for you.” Trump also offered assistance in the form of search-and-rescue teams to the hurting country in a phone call to President Nieto on Wednesday.
​
Donations to help the victims of this terrible earthquake can be sent to the Unicef and/or the Oxfam Mexico websites. While Mexico may be hurting, the country is certainly not alone.
