The day before yesterday (last Tuesday), Mexico remembered the victims of the 8.1 earthquake that killed over 10,000 people in Mexico City 32 years ago. At 11 am there were preventive, orderly drills in which hundreds of thousands of people took part to rehearse what to do (and most importantly, what not to do in the event of an earthquake). Merely two hours latter dozens of buildings collapsed and hundreds of people died in a cruel joke of destiny.
At 1:14 p.m. I was getting ready for a meeting while I was finishing my next Steemit post (now I will post that one in two days, since I wanted to share this experience first). It was a perfectly normal day. Suddenly I lost my balance and nearly fell. The furniture in my room came down violently and the walls and ceiling began to crack, making a horrible noise. People started to scream and cry. The way from the fourth floor to the ground level felt like ages, seeing people in panic attacks exiting every apartment on my way downstairs.
When I finally reached the building’s front door I saw a group of people in nervous breakdowns stuck in a bottle neck. Due to the shock no one could open the door and all were yelling while dust and small pieces of concrete fell from the ceiling as the building continued to shake savagely.
I managed to get to the door and open it and we all went out. For still some seconds more we saw our building, and every other building around us move and make horrible noises, the sturdy concrete sounding like breaking toasted bread. Once neighbours in crisis began to breathe better and calm down everyone tried to call their relatives. No one could. There was no signal.
After some time we went back into the building, to find extensive cracks in every floors. I packed the essential and left for a friend’s house. I have still not been able to return home since we are waiting for engineers to check the building. The danger of collapse is still high.
The real shock came as the phone signal came back and we discovered that many buildings were destroyed and there were fires and gas leaks all over the city.
After a couple of hours I arrived at my friend’s house. We still spent two hours trying to locate and pick up her nephew and niece in the middle of chaos in the city. When we were sure they were safely home we went to buy some water bottles and ice bags and brought them to the people helping at the nearest site where a building had collapsed, just one block away from my friend’s office, where she was at the moment of the earthquake. Trying to locate friends and family took all the rest of that day. The real work for us started the following day (yesterday).
My business partners opened a disaster relief logistics & aid distribution centre. Yesterday was the most inspiring and heart-warming day of my life. Citizens from all ages and walks of life gathered at that house to help. We received food, medicines and tools to help the rescuing groups, and distributed that aid in motorbikes, cars and school buses. Entire families poured into the house, bringing things that are invaluable to all the brave people working to rescue the survivors in the nearly 50 destroyed buildings in the city and the hundreds of affected areas in two dozen villages.
These days I have seen Mexico at its finest: citizens taking command, strangers helping strangers, families becoming logistic units, people saving, comforting and supporting other people.
As I write this post the efforts continue. I just needed a moment to write this to honour the amazing people out there showing why the man is not the wolf of the man. Many thanks also to the international community, as it is standing up for Mexico. Thank you.
If you wish to help you can contact the InterAmerican Heart Foundation Mexico via facebook and we will make sure your help goes to efficient, well-organised, citizen-led logistic centres such as the one my business partners set, and thus directly to the most affected areas: https://www.facebook.com/ficmexico.org/
All this re-ignites one question in my head (the one I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, "Blockchain vs Hurricanes"): How can we make blockchain become a tool for more effective disaster relief efforts around the world?
That must have been a crazy experience!
Hopefully Mexico will recover from such a tragedy, best wishes
Thank you for your comment!! I was not active in steemit for over a week due to all this. But great things are comming out of it. We even started a new foundation!
2 earthquake within week
Yes, it was horrid. Civil society is working hard to help wherever aid is necessary to speed up the recovery process. A lot of work to do!
Hopefully Mexico will recover from such a tragedy, best wishes
Thank you very much for your comment!
Very best
Thank you very much!!
Thanks for sharing! Blockchain applications are at there best when scarce resources are involved. I see scarce resources here but I'm not seeing immediately where blockchain fits in. Maybe micro donations? Or verification of donation use making people more willing to donate.
Thank you very much for your comment! I was away many days due to all this. Maybe that is a possible line of work for the long term: micro donations with full transparency and accountability for similar situations via a blockchain based platform. After all that happened a large group of volunteers, myself included, have decided to create a foundation that helps communities in the reconstruction process. It is going to be a long process, but we are mobilising lots of wonderful people that are contributing their time and energy to speed it up. We have heard marvelous stories of survivors and communities that are getting on their feet rather fast.
As a follower of @followforupvotes this post has been randomly selected and upvoted! Enjoy your upvote and have a great day!
Mexicans are made of the strong stuff like girders
I remember way back in 1985 that earthquake that shook them and then a year later they managed to rebuild themselves and set the greatest sporting stage for the Mexico 86 World Cup. Delighted they did or we might never have seen Maradona`s 2 superb goals against England in the quarter finals. The Hand of God goal and the other goal where he took on half the England to score and put Argentina towards that World Cup glory!
Thank you for your comment!
Your welcome and many thanks for getting back to me too!
I am following you already. Cheers!
genial
Thank you! Sorry for replying so late. I was off line for some time due to all this. Cheers! =)
Hi, nice post. Could you help mine out a little!!!
https://steemit.com/life/@glasscannon/this-image-is-about-our-family-and-was-made-by-our-family-with-love
Thanks a ton :)
This is indeed a cruel joke of the destiny that the day you drilled in preparation of earthquakes, that day itself the earthquake happened, as if nature laughing on the humans. But I am glad that you guys have already started the recovery process. I hope that the damage that happened during this earthquake can be compensated as soon as possible.
Thank you very much for your comment and good wishes! It was indeed a shock. But the country is rising fast. Those were awful days but also tremendously inspiring. We are so happy about the response of the citizens all over the contry, and the support from abroad. I am following you already! Cheers!
Our throughts prayers to all the families. May you get all the help and support needed.
Thank you very much for commenting. After all that we learnt in these past weeks, we just launched a new foundation to help communities recover. We are witnessing Mexico's civil society at its best, so much collaboration and energy!
What a grueling time... Peace and light to you always
Thank you very much! Slowly but firmly the most affected communities are standing up. It was a major blow but it is so inspiring to see so many citizens helping in so many ways. Particularly many young people are making a great impact. In our logistics centre we mobilised over 700 volunteers. And there were so many more logistic centres. Thank you for your good wishes!
So glad you're okay!! Bless you for taking action and helping those in need. Sending up prayers and light for all!
Thank you so much for your support! I am sorry to answer this late. I was off line for some time. Mexico saw hard days, but also so many inspiring moments from millions of citizens that took action. I think I will post soon an update on this post, to share the story of the new foundation that we created to support many communities in their reconstruction.
Praying for you guys! We were feeling out in Texas as well!
Please follow and vote @bilqis07
God bless you Mexico! Our prayers will always be with you.
Thank you so much for your comment! So nice of you.
Are you all in the stage of recovery now? :)
Hello! After the experience in the logistics centre we decided to create a foundation to help over 20 communities in their recovery and reconstuction processes! We are working hard to access the remotest communities. We are happy to see so much solidarity and the country standing up in dignity after such a shock. Thank you!
I know you can all easily recover. I believe in your hardwork.
Thank you so much!
You are always welcome dear. The world is hoping for the fast recovery of Mexico.
@cryptotequila im so glad that you are okay. Prayers sent for all the victim :(
Thank you very much for your kind message!
Wish you luck!!!
Thank you very much!! I am following you already.
Hope you'll get well soon
Thank you very much for commenting!
Best wishes Mucha suerte Mexico!!!!! Fuerza Stay Strong!!!!
Thank you very much!!! ¡Muchas gracias! We just created a foundation to help communities with the reconstruction. We are inspired to see so many volunteers, donors, rescuers, so many citizens working tirelessly to help fellow citizens.
Nice to see such great efforts during this disaster! I hope that the National Museum of Anthropology did not suffer any damage to its wonderful exhibits. Also, I hope that my favorite liquor store (Londres!) on Genova and my favorite Sanborns near the angel did not suffer any damage either. Wishing All the best to good peeps from one of my fave cities to do buisness in, the D.F. !
Hello! Thank you for your comment! Mexico city is recovering very fast. The buldings you mentioned are intact. So many people keep helping particularly the remotest, most affected communities. The country is rising dignified, in solidarity: we have learned so much from this tragedy.
Hi! I represent the official ICO bounty program https://crypto.tickets.
We really like your activity on Steemit and I want to invite you to our automated Steemit bounty program.
You can get Stakes easily for every repost or post.
About project: https://steemit.com/@crypto.tickets /@crypto.tickets
Official bounty page https://crypto.tickets/bounty.program.en.html and bounty thread – https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=2164768.0
Please, let me know about your decision in return message 😉
Hi! I represent the official ICO bounty program https://crypto.tickets.
We really like your activity on Steemit and I want to invite you to our automated Steemit bounty program.
You can get Stakes easily for every repost or post.
About project: https://steemit.com/@crypto.tickets /@crypto.tickets
Official bounty page https://crypto.tickets/bounty.program.en.html and bounty thread – https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=2164768.0
Please, let me know about your decision in return message 😉
All the Best!
Thank you very much!
I'm an American who was in a central Mexico quake many years ago. I've been praying for everyone involved in this one and will continue to pray for your wellbeing. SO glad to read about how people have really been helping!
Thank you very much for your kind message! Yes, it has been a hard test but one that we, as a community, have endured with solidarity. I feel inspired by all the wonderful sceenes of solidarity I have witnessed in the previous weeks. I am following your account already. Thank you again for your comment!