As of Thursday, September 28, the death toll from the 7.1 Central Mexico earthquake of Tuesday, September 19, which had its epicenter 32 miles below the earth’s surface in the state of Puebla, had risen to 343 people, 204 of which were registered in the nation’s capital.
The remainder of the deceased are shared by the states of Morelos (approx. 74), Puebla (approx. 45), the state of Mexico (approx. 13), Guerrero (approx. 6) and Oaxaca (one person).
The death toll from the Thursday, September 7 earthquake in southern Mexico, meanwhile, has stabilized at 98, with Oaxaca bearing the brunt with 78 deaths, and the states of Chiapas and Tabasco registering 14 and six, respectively. However, the area still bears the ugly stamp of the earthquake’s wrath, with thousands remaining homeless and infrastructure in tatters.
In addition to the two big temblors, several smaller quakes were registered in Mexico since the 19th, the biggest being a 6.0 which hit the already besieged Oaxaca, Saturday, September 23. Two women died of heart attacks during the event. No other deaths – and no significant damage – were reported.
While monetary figures of damage estimates are necessarily unstable, the latest appraisal puts the amount at about two billion pesos for both earthquakes, including 750 million for schools, 550 million for homes and 440 million for various cultural sites. Thousands of people remain homeless due to both seismic events, as well.
And while the poor inevitably have been more greatly effected by the disaster, mother nature spared nobody, especially in CDMX, where the Condesa and Roma neighborhoods – two of the city’s most desirable and stylish boroughs – were especially hard hit.
Of the 40 or so buildings which collapsed in CDMX, the flattening of a school in the southern part of the city – and the resulting death of 26 people, mainly children – has stood out. The students’ tragic – and as it will perhaps turn out, eminently preventable – demise may have come as a result of malfeasance surrounding building inspections and incomplete or non-compliance with regulations put in place after the 1985 earthquake, which happened on the same date as this year’s quake but resulted in about 10,000 deaths nationwide and much more widespread damage.
While experts say the building regulations put in place post-1985 are in part to be thanked for the recent earthquake’s comparatively lower impact, they stress that greater scrutiny of code compliance is needed; the issue isn’t the codes themselves – it’s enforcement laxity and corruption which are often to blame.
Disaster relief and assistance to both central and southern Mexico continues flowing from coffers both private and public. Citizens of Oaxaca, a region which absorbed the lion’s share of devastation wrought by the September 7 quake, are receiving direct electronic transfers of federal funds totaling 356 million to help them repair their homes and get back on their feet, a strategy which presumably is meant to bypass private and public sector middlemen.
The response from the general public has exceeded most expectations. The state of Jalisco has been especially generous, with an estimated 700 tons of donations – mostly food, medicines and hygienic items – collected in the first week following the quake.
It’s difficult these days to know for certain which are the most trustworthy avenues for donating aid, but for those readers who wish to give to relief efforts in Mexico, the following are considered among the most highly esteemed:
Topos: This non-profit is a search-and-rescue outfit which was founded following the 1985 earthquake. They have an unblemished record of integrity and heroism. Donations can be made via Paypal on their website, topos.mx.
Mexican Red Cross: While the Red Cross has weathered a couple of controversies in recent years – including questions surrounding its use of funds raised to assist Haiti following their own devastating earthquake - they still have a reputation for effectiveness. Donations are made directly to their website.
Direct Relief: a humanitarian aid organization active in 80 countries. Donate on their website.
Fondo Unido Mexico: a branch of the United Way, donations can be made via their website.
And as is often the case during trying times, human interest stories emerge, providing a salve to raw emotion wounds. However, the most prominent of these stories involves not a human, but a dog.
Frida, a perky yellow lab, has helped save at least 52 lives in Mexico City in her capacity as a rescue dog. She is often shown in photos fitted with blue and grey protective booties and a beige harness, her pink tongue lolling out of a wide, indefatigable grin.
Not only has she done her part directly to save lives, Frida has contributed indirectly to relief efforts vis-a-vis Ster Aguirre and Ivan Mayorquin, two Mexican citizens who have raised relief money by making and selling pins portraying the smiling canine. They’re selling for 150 pesos each and every centavo goes to the Mexican Red Cross.