Emergency Earthquake Response in Mexico

IsraAID first arrived in Mexico in the summer of 2017, after an earthquake struck the country causing widespread damage, in the Mexican states of Puebla and Morelos, claiming the lives of close to 400 people, and injuring thousands. With families and communities evacuated from their homes and staying in temporary shelters, Protection of vulnerable populations is of high concern. The associated stress and departure from routine can have severe, long-term affects on mental health, further exacerbated by the breakdown of community support systems. Without intact infrastructure, safe water access and sanitation management poses a danger, as the potential for a secondary crisis increases significantly.

IsraAID hit the ground and launched an emergency response mission, ensuring that affected communities had the necessary relief items, psychosocial support, and access to safe water to begin to rebuild. As the area began to return to normalcy, IsraAID's teams began to transition their programs toward long-term needs, focusing on Disaster Risk Reduction. Building emergency response mechanisms is a key part of building back better, ensuring that communities have the resources and the knowledge base to create a foundation for what happens and how to respond next time a crisis hits.

Throughout 2019, IsraAID continued to work toward this goal. Throughout the program, IsraAID implemented a school-based Disaster Risk Reducation program in 100% of the secondary schools across the state of Morelos, where students, teachers, staff members, and parents were all involved in creating disaster response plans for their communities.

Overall, in 2019, IsraAID:

• Worked in partnership with 325 schools, ensuring that they are prepared for the next emergency
• Trained 717 facilitators, who can continue to implement these processes in their schools and communities
• Included more than 3,000 parents and family members in emergency preparedness programs
• Reached more than 28,000 children and teenagers through each school
• Distributed 513 guidebooks to help support schools and communities through the technical and psychosocial aspects of emergency preparedness planning
• Trained 51 staff members from 28 different Municipal Civil Protection bodies to include local authorities in the process

Thank you to all who participated in this impactful program, and to you, our supporters, who make all of this possible!