JFK Times Summer Edition 2019

Page 44

No man is an island

By: Felipe Reyes High School World History

It was a moment of hope in an otherwise senseless tragedy. Originated in the southern part of the city of Puebla, a 7.1 earthquake struck central Mexico. 32 years to the day when the infamous Mexico City earthquake had forever changed the urban land-

scape, the city was, along with Puebla and parts of the state of Morelos, once again left in chaos and confusion by the destructive force of the tremor.

hundreds of thousands of Mexicans saw their countrymen and women in need and put aside all other concerns so they could lend a helping hand.

A dark toll of hundreds of lives and yet-unaccounted for damages to people’s livelihoods and homes lies in the disaster’s wake. City officials and building developers may have, either deliberately or not, ignored the lessons of 1985 and a reckoning must come. But in the face of such despair, something wonderful happened:

The response was, in fact, so overwhelming, that organizing these groups of people became almost impossible. It did create a whole new set of problems for authorities and NGOs participating and organizing volunteers, but, at least in principle, having more help than you know what to do with is a good problem to have. Indeed,

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