LIFT 35 just returned at 5:45 this morning (Tuesday) from the city of Portoviejo on the coast of Ecuador. We were there for just over 24 hours and maximized our time by splitting into various teams. Saturday night we helped set up the 2nd floor of the hospital with mattresses on the floor of every room to house teams that were coming from all over to help. During that time the President of Ecuador arrived in Portoviejo to assess the damage and visited the hospital. He saw a large group of gringos with helmets, headlamps and facemasks helping out and came over to ask where they were from and thank them for helping his country in what he claimed to be perhaps Ecuador's worst natural disaster. Rick Borman and John Darnell from El Refugio and two LIFT students, Kevin Hebert and Carson Anderson let him know that we are just a group of Americans from all over and just happened to be here at the right time and were prepared to help in any way.
After helping clean and prepare the hospital for more patients and housing rescue teams, we slept for 4 hours in a large sanctuary of the alliance (CMA) church in the city that we were partnering with in relief efforts.
Monday morning we split up into teams again to aid professional rescuers from Ecuador and other countries in looking for anyone who may still be alive under the many fallen buildings and homes. Another LIFT team helped with reorganizing all the hospital files that were shuffled and in chaos when filing cabinets and shelves toppled over during the quake. Searching for bodies was a slow process of waiting for the heavy machinery to uncover tons of concrete and rebar to a point where holes were poked into cavities between multiple floors sandwiched together. Sentimental and important items were also removed and given to the on-looking families hanging on in hope and prayer.
Late in the day a cell phone call was received by emergency personnel by a man trapped under a 6-story building saying he could here the machines digging above him. All work in a 4-block area came to a screeching halt as rescuers silenced everyone to listen for tapping from a number of different recovery sites. Within a half hour they figured out which collapsed building he was under then sent in dogs and a specialized rescue team from Bogota, Columbia to continue the work with hand power tools. About an hour and a half later they pulled the man out who was trapped in darkeness for over two days. News reporters and hundreds of rescue workers (including LIFTers) were there to cheer him on as he surfaced and was carried on a stretcher to the ambulance. It was a pretty moving experience and the hope that rescuers needed to revitalize their searches.
After just a short time of being in the midst of such vast destruction that happened in only one minute of time, many of us have been impacted by the loss but also by the unity of people from around the world coming to the aid of those in need. There will be much to debrief tonight as we finish our time here in Ecuador and return to New York tomorrow night.
Tim
After helping clean and prepare the hospital for more patients and housing rescue teams, we slept for 4 hours in a large sanctuary of the alliance (CMA) church in the city that we were partnering with in relief efforts.
Monday morning we split up into teams again to aid professional rescuers from Ecuador and other countries in looking for anyone who may still be alive under the many fallen buildings and homes. Another LIFT team helped with reorganizing all the hospital files that were shuffled and in chaos when filing cabinets and shelves toppled over during the quake. Searching for bodies was a slow process of waiting for the heavy machinery to uncover tons of concrete and rebar to a point where holes were poked into cavities between multiple floors sandwiched together. Sentimental and important items were also removed and given to the on-looking families hanging on in hope and prayer.
Late in the day a cell phone call was received by emergency personnel by a man trapped under a 6-story building saying he could here the machines digging above him. All work in a 4-block area came to a screeching halt as rescuers silenced everyone to listen for tapping from a number of different recovery sites. Within a half hour they figured out which collapsed building he was under then sent in dogs and a specialized rescue team from Bogota, Columbia to continue the work with hand power tools. About an hour and a half later they pulled the man out who was trapped in darkeness for over two days. News reporters and hundreds of rescue workers (including LIFTers) were there to cheer him on as he surfaced and was carried on a stretcher to the ambulance. It was a pretty moving experience and the hope that rescuers needed to revitalize their searches.
After just a short time of being in the midst of such vast destruction that happened in only one minute of time, many of us have been impacted by the loss but also by the unity of people from around the world coming to the aid of those in need. There will be much to debrief tonight as we finish our time here in Ecuador and return to New York tomorrow night.
Tim
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