Storm Rachel battered Baja California this weekend (Saturday October 10th and Sunday October 11th) and Ensenada was the hardest-hit municipality; the aftermath included the Pípila River overflowing its banks and multiple areas suffering landslides that swept away houses, cars, animals and people.
So far, there are official reports of 4 confirmed fatalities including a four-year-old child, a Mom, a 14-year-old girl, a woman of an unknown age, and a 51-year-old man, while four people have been rescued alive.
More than 200 people are currently in shelters.
One of the neighborhoods where we serve is cut off from the outside world because an access bridge collapsed; 25 neighborhoods are without electricity or phone service. Several homes were destroyed by the winds—roofs were blown off, and mud completely inundated every corner of the houses.
How can we help?
We want to form a brigade to provide the hands and feet needed to literally help rescue the homes of Maneadero residents most in urgent need. We wish there were a fund for roof repairs. Afterward, we would compile a list of items to purchase and donate—such as beds or mattresses, blankets, clothing, shoes, and food—but the most pressing need is for hands: for a brigade to search for bodies or trapped individuals and to salvage homes, as well as for donations to the shelters.
