Help for Bahia de Caraquez

My name is Filberto Viteri Chavez; I am an architect, urban designer and researcher from Ecuador, currently living in New York City. I was born in a small city called Bahía de Caráquez located in the province of Manabi on the northern coast of Ecuador. Last Saturday, an earthquake of magnitude of 7.8 in the Richter scale left the province of Manabi and my city of Bahía
 de Caráquez completely destroyed. Being far and uncommunicated from my family in this situation makes me feel powerless and that is why I have decided to find alternatives to help. Images across the internet illustrate the level of devastation in the region and with everyone I can only imagine what my family and friends are suffering.
My home town was only 18 kms away from the epicenter, and therefore remains as one of the most affected places. A big portion of the population, my parents included, lost their homes; others lost a member of their family or still have relatives trapped below the collapsed structures. The latest official report (21:00 h - April 18 local Ecuadorian time) confirmed 413 fatalities, 231 people reported missing and more than 2650 injured nationally. Some of the victims I personally knew. Due to the current lack of electricity, potable water and the damaged road infrastructure, communication is limited and because of the fear of unstable buildings and potential aftershocks, most of my people spend the night out in the streets.

I want to reach out to you and ask for your contribution to help my family and many other families and friends who are enduring this disastrous situation. Your donation will be used to complement the current efforts and provide aid during the following weeks, purchasing and delivering water, non-perishable food, medicine and other supplies which are urgently needed in Bahia and its surrounding towns. In addition, I have joined forces with fellow architects and teachers in the School of Architecture and Design at the Catholic University of Santiago de Guayaquil, and my colleagues in the Guayaquil-based urban think tank “El Selectivo – Colectivo de Arquitectura”. Together, we plan to channel existing resources available in the aforementioned university in order to bring technical assistance to the affected area. The team will travel and provide onsite coordination in the construction of easy-to-build shelter and houses, and offer assistance with planning the reconstruction process in the months to come.

My family, friends and colleagues need your help urgently! The fastest you act the more people we get to assist. I truly appreciate any help you can provide to help Bahia in this time of need.