On Saturday, April 23, 2016, my classmate, Nicolle, 25, Ecuadorian-Polish, told me about what has been happening in the aftermath of the April 16th earthquake that struck her homeland, Ecuador. “…yesterday there were 3 quake[s] in Guayaquil—my city, and Isla Puna close to Guayaquil.”

Help Alert: Hostos Responds To Ecuador Earthquake With Hope For Ecuador Relief Concert On May 12 — Hostos Helping Ecuador A Disaster Relief Fundraiser by Hostos Community College   —  Ecuador Earthquake Relief Fund

(How to get to Hostos)

“…the College’s students, staff and faculty, and with the support from Organización Juventud Ecuatoriana, have come together as “Hostos Helping” for a benefit concert. The “Hope for Ecuador Concert” will be held in the Hostos Main Theater on Thursday, May 12, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., and feature some of the leading Ecuadorian musicians based in the U.S. …”

 

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Community College Helping Ecuador May 12 concert

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Red Cross Responds After Deadly Quakes in Ecuador and Japan

Ways to help Ecuador and Japan (Kyushu)

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Alex Janin’s TAKE PART article and list of resources

A woman cries as the search-and-rescue workers on duty go through the rubble of collapsed buildings in Pedernales, Manabi province, Ecuador, on April 17. l(Photo: Josep Vecino/Getty Images)

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Recent news on the losses and recovery in Ecuador and video:

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Nicolle has been keeping up to date on Guayaquil, Ecuador, and the rest of the country, using several internet sources like El Universo (El Mayor Diario Nacional. Noticias de Ecuador y del mundo) twitter. “El Universo is one of the Ecuadorian newspaper. the other one is El Comercio… [They say] 602 [are] dead, more than 4,000 [are] injured, [and] 1,700 missing”, according to El pais internacional. “Lo que se sabe del terremoto de Ecuador…Tres días después del seísmo hay 413 víctimas mortales contabilizadas y la cifra de heridos se eleva a 2.500, según datos del Gobierno…internacional.elpais.com…”

Her family and friends are also telling her what’s going on and sending her pictures (One of the them is the cover picture for this article). “…My friends and family are fine. [An English source of news.] “Ecuador has 4 provinces in the coast: Esmeraldas, Manabi, Guayas, and El Oro. [The first three] got hit by the earthquake, but Manabi [was hit the worst]. The smell of death is in Manabi than in other provinces.”

 

She says  Solca, a hospital in Guayaquil, Guayas was badly damaged. And a road in Portoviejo, Manabí, was ripped apart. The picture was taken by a friend of her mothers. Nicolle asked me, “What do you think? Do you think the earthquake from Japan and Ecuador are connected?” I replied, “I heard something like that. Actually, all earthquakes can be felt all around the world. So all of them are connected.” This is another link she sent me , as we chatted over fb (I’m in Miami): En fotos: la devastación que causó el terremoto en Ecuador – BBC Mundo…Un terremoto de magnitud 7,8 sacudió la costa ecuatoriana el sábado por la noche. Hay más de 500 muertos, miles de heridos y varias ciudades devastadas. Nicolle, distraught, said, “So sad, beautiful cities and now destroyed, people are injured and dead. It’s weird for Ecuador to have earthquakes. The last one was I believe 4-5 decades ago in Ambato.” I aske her how are people getting around? Because it looks like the roads are impassable from her pictures. “I have no idea, but looking [at] the road I think they are not passing .. that way.”

I surmised that not all the roads have been damaged. She agreed, “I believe so…since I remeber a pic of a line of cars from Guayaquil going to Manabi.”

“Many countries have helped Ecuador…[I’m] so happy [about that].”

“…there is a video [of] rescuers [that] found a baby in a fallen house or building alive! …[It’s on] Cambiaste Mi Vida, a facebook community…. Ecuavisa (news of Ecuador) said that so far there are 646 deads, 12,492 injured, 130 missing, and 113 rescued…updated 5 hours ago…Nicole give me another link: “Visita a la Provincia de Manabi – Ecuador después del terremoto…Esta es una de las vistas de la Provincia de Manabi – Ecuador después de un fuerte terremoto. una de las ciudades principales que es Manta y Portoviejo.”

Nicole is a senior at Queens College. She’s a US citizen because of my father. Her plans for the future are to return to her country and have her own business, and travel. She already has an associate degree in Hospitality Management from LaGuardia, and one in Graphic Design. She’s currently  minor in Japanese here at QC.

I asked her wow will the disaster effect her travel plans? How would she decide what to do from now?

“I love Japan I have always wanted to study there that’s why I came to USA as a gateway to go therevafter returning and start working I will travel around the world since the world is big and beautiful…Since it was difficult to go to study in japan from my country I decided to come to USA since I [had] citizenship.”

I ask her if she is afraid? Does she think she’d be prepared if she were in an earthquake. Nicolle told me with a firm conviction, “When the time comes it will come so I’m not afraid…I’m with Jesus, with my Lord and I have faith in him. [A] long time ago, I gave my life and my path to my God. So if God says [it] is my time, it’s my time…if there is an earthquake and [I’m] safe [then] it was not my time. In other words, I’m not afraid, I’m with Jesus, my Lord. I believe in him. There is not gonna be any effect. Since my country is with Jesus, they will overcome these events. My country is the best. I love my country.”

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STATEMENT OF THE EMBASSY OF ECUADOR IN THE UNITED STATES ABOUT THE EARTHQUAKE THAT TOOK PLACE IN ECUADOR

The Embassy of Ecuador in the United States reiterates its solidarity with the victims of the earthquake in the coast of Ecuador and expresses its condolences to the families who lost loved ones.

We share to the Ecuadorian community in the United States, IMPORTANT information about the different support/communication actions after the earthquake.

FINANCIAL DONATION INFO

and donate to:

• Red Cross of ECUADOR
• UNICEF ECUADOR

Also: Ecuador Promo We love their bananas, chocolate, and coffee! But we love their people even more! It’s time do do something for the country that has given us so much, Ecuador! ***Please SHARE!*** ‪#‎EcuadorEarthquake‬ ‪#‎giveme5forEcuador‬ TO DONATE VISIT: www.operationblessing.org, www.Giveme5forEcuador.com or www.ecuador.org Video Footage by:  Ministerio de Turismo Ecuador –www.youtube.com/user/amalavidatv -Operation Blessing: www.operationblessing.org – WOM Publicidad – www.Giveme5forEcuador.com Edited by C4 Productions – Script by Nataly Schenker, inspired by publications of Sandra Illi and New York Times. Voice Over: Tim Schenker. Research: Julia Chapman and the Rojas Vaca Family

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Noteworthy: Kumamoto Japan Earthquake Relief Fund

The first time I ever really experienced an earthquake was on a Sunday morning, March 20, 2005, in Pusan, South Korea. It came from Fukuoka, Japan.One person died. At that time, I was underground in a jjimjilbang/찜질방, sauna, lying down face up on a tatami mat in one of the rooms, as I relaxed looking up at the seemingly solid cinder block walls, they began to wave like cartoon jello. I jumped up and ran to the entrance shouting at the lady, ajuma, that was in the room to get up. She said nothing and just looked at me with a puzzled expression. (Fukuoka quake, Samford University info, USGS info, Fukuoka wiki, WMF labs info, Earthquakes FindtheData).

 

 

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P.P.S.
Efforts At QC:
From Emanuel Avila, Associate Director of Judicial Affairs and Service Learning and Severino Randazzo, Student Life Coordinator:

On April 16, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the coast of Ecuador causing great damage to the country, killing more than 750 people, and injuring many others. This catastrophe directly affected the Queens College community, in particular those students whose families are from Ecuador.

While student organizations at Queens College have raised more than $1,000, more help is needed. As part of ongoing relief efforts, the Office of Student Life is launching a monetary campaign with a fundraising goal of $1,000. Please consider making donations, in whatever amount you can, at the following locations on campus: Student Life (Student Union 327), the College Association (Student Union 203), and Q-Tips in the Dining Hall. Money will also be collected during this semester’s Midnight Breakfast on Monday, May 16. All proceeds will be donated to UNICEF on behalf of Queens College.

As a community, we can come together and help our friends in Ecuador.

If there are any questions, please feel free to stop by our office (Student Union 327) or email us directly at eavila@qc.cuny.edu or srandazzo@qc.cuny.edu.

Thank you.