Help TJ & Tamera home Christmas

Hello.  We are Tamera and Jason (TJ) Overman.  After surviving a devastating earthquake in Ecuador, we desperately want to go to see our family and friends for Christmas back home in the United States. Every little bit will help.

Last year we decided to move to the coast of Ecuador. We chose the small fishing village of Crucita. There is no mail delivery in Crucita. No large stores.  No malls.  The electricity goes out a lot.  But the land and the people are beautiful.  It is a simple life.  We were very happy.  On April 16th, at about 7:00 pm we were watching a movie when we heard a loud boom, as if somone had just dropped 20 ton boulder next to our house. Then the house began to violently shake back and forth. It was a 7.8 earthquake.  

We were in shock. In a split second I had to make the decision to leave my cats and run out of the house as quickly as possible.  We were safe for the moment.  We found some of our friends/neighbors.  They were safe too.  Our cats were okay.

[This is the road to Portoviejo.]

The next few days were a total blur.  More earthquakes occurred.  No water.  No electricity.  No phones. No place to buy food.  We had no way to contact our family back in the United States to let them know we were okay. This was the worst part. Not being able to talk to our family. We have friends in Portoviejo. We had no way to know if they were okay. Portoviejo is where we go to shop for food and supplies.  As with many of the roads and highways, the road to Portoviejo was collapsed.  A car had fallen into it.  I do not even know if the people survived.  I hope that they are okay.

We are basically cut off from the surrounding towns.  Even if we can get to them, the places where we shopped are gone.  There are plenty of tiendas (little stores) here in Crucita and they eventually began to open.  They run out of items quickly. Cat food is nearly impossible to find.  When we do, it is almost $3 for a 2 cup bag of food. We have four cats.  

[This is El Centro, where we used to shop in Portoviejo.]

We are getting by as best as we can.  It is costing us more to live here right now.  The added expenses are making things difficult. I know things will get better, as things do after a natural disaster. I just do not know when.  

What I do know is that there is no way we can afford to fly home to the United States in December without help. The prices of airline tickets continue to rise.  The availability of tickets continue to decrease.  If we are not able to buy tickets in the next couple of  months. we will not be able to see our family and friends in December for Christmas. This will be equally devastating for us and for our family.  We cannot express how much we miss them.  We know they are missing us and have been so worried about us since the earthquake occurred.  We are hoping to have a happy reunion in December. 

Thank you for taking the time to read our story.  If you or someone you know can help us make it possible to get back to the United States we will not only be grateful, but we promise to show our appreciation for your kindness by paying it forward.  Every little bit will help.
When we are financially able, every penny you donate to us, we will donate to other families in need. 

[TJ sitting on  bench in our park in Crucita.]