MEXICO EARTHQUAKE UPDATE - MORELOS (JULY 2018)
DISASTER PROFILE The Central Mexico Earthquake struck on September 19, 2017. The 7.1 magnitude earthquake caused damage in the state of Morelos and the greater Mexico City area. Due to the quake and subsequent collapse of more than 40 buildings, 370 people lost their lives and another 6,000 were injured. OUR RESPONSE In partnership with Happy Hearts Fund Mexico and with support from donors, partners, and volunteers from around the world, All Hands and Hearts – Smart Response has run an impactful program in Mexico since February 26, 1018. With the initial goal of rebuilding Narciso Mendoza Primary School underway, we are now able to expand our efforts in Jojutla and have begun work to retrofit Vicente Guerrero Primary School. Our work on the classrooms, computer rooms, multipurpose rooms, and bathrooms, will give students at both schools a safe, secure place to go to school every day. OUR CURRENT ACTIVITIES We are at an exciting stage of progress and expansion in Morelos! At Narciso Mendoza Primary School, roof work is underway on two structures, while walls are coming up on the other two. Plywood sheets are being installed to shore the roof slab on one of the two-classroom structures. Another set of classrooms is nearing this stage, with the walls complete and roof beam rebar and formwork underway. Volunteers are installing the formwork for the lintel band and vertical bands on the two-classroom + bathroom structure, which will prepare resilient walls for the concrete pour that will make way for a start on the roof. Volunteers continue compacting and backfilling on the multipurpose room structure, beginning the brickwork that will form the walls. Vicente Guerrero is another primary school in Jojutla, which has been declared unsafe for students to learn in following the earthquake. We are now in the initial stages of demolishing and removing the unsound walls and debris.
Removing the old to make way for the new, volunteers clean up the exterior of a wall that was damaged in the earthquake. With the structure shaken, the wall would no longer hold up in another seismic event. This will be replaced by a strong, disaster-resilient wall.
A volunteer works to clear damaged walls at Vicente Guerrero Primary School. Following the quake, each structure was marked with a circle indicating the degree of damage to structural integrity. The red dot next to the doorway marks a building that is no longer structurally sound.
OUR IMPACT
325
STUDENTS IMPACTED
2
SCHOOLS IN PROGRESS
152
VOLUNTEERS
2,056
VOLUNTEER DAYS
Mi Casa, Tu Casa Families in Jicarero have welcomed All Hands and Hearts volunteers into the community by inviting them for home-cooked meals. Here, community member Dona Tella teaches volunteers how to make maize tortillas.
GRADUATION 6th-grade graduation is an exciting time in Mexico. AHAH has been joining the ceremonies with the 6th-grade graduating class of Narciso Mendoza. In these photos, the students display their diplomas.
OUR MISSION To effectively and efficiently address the immediate and long-term needs of communities impacted by natural disasters. By listening to local people, and deploying a unique model of engaging volunteers to enable direct impact, we rebuild safe, resilient schools, homes and other community infrastructure.
OUR PARTNERS
4 YEARS IN A ROW! Only 13% of charities have received at least 4 consecutive 4-star ratings. This means All Hands and Hearts outperforms most of the other 1.5 million charities in America in operational and financial efficiency.
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For additional information: Ethan C. Yake, Chief Partnership Officer ethan@allhandsandhearts.org or (518) 669-7147 www.allhandsandhearts.org