Canoa Ecuador Earthquake Relief

The small coastal town of Canoa, Ecuador where our family lives has been completely devastated by the recent earthquake that struck the province of Manabi. Our beautiful town of Canoa is located only 25 miles or so from the epicenter of the main quake and was also hit by a second 5.5 earthquake that followed shortly afterwards near the neighboring town of Bahia de Caraquez. There are at least 70 people dead in the town and many others are injured,missing, or trapped under debris. Emergency relief efforts have not yet been able to reach the people of Canoa due to infrastructure damage and impassible roads. Our family and the rest of the people of the town have no electricity, no shelter, and no potable water. The international relief efforts could take days or weeks to help them. We are going to collect funds as well as supplies and take them directly to our families as soon as it is physically possible. The town was a small but popular destination for tourists from The US, Europe, and all over South America but the earthquake has destroyed all the homes and hotels, thereby also destroying not only people's home but also their livelihoods. Please help us help them to survive and then rebuild after this tragedy. Even the smallest donation will help.










ABOUT OUR CAMPAIGN

Who We Are:
My Husband Leo Merchan is from Canoa, Ecuador. He moved to the United States about 4 years ago. We currently live in Savannah, GA and have a 2 year old son. Leo's parents, sisters, and entire extended family still live in Canoa. Their homes have been destroyed and they have no food, water, or shelter. Leo will be taking funds and supplies directly to our family and neighbors in Canoa and helping them set up temporary shelter and eventually to rebuild their homes. Leo currently works for the Department of Public Works of Tybee Island, GA and is experienced in the type of work that needs to be done in Canoa to help the town recover and rebuild after this disaster.

How We Are Going to Help:

The money that we raise will go directly to help Leo's family and friends to recover from this disaster and rebuild their homes and businesses. Some will go to transportation costs to physically get the funds and supplies to Canoa which is a small coastal town that is somewhat remote and there is very little transportation able to reach the area at this time. Leo has coordinated transportation with a friend in another area of Ecuador who's home was not affected to help him arrange transport. In the next week or two, Leo will be personally taking emergency relief supplies such as tents, flashlights, first aid supplies, water filtration tablets, diapers and children's clothing, feminine hygiene supplies for the women, and other items that may be difficult to get locally. If you would prefer to donate these items rather than money, we welcome of these types of donations - please contact me about how to do this. All expenditures will be documented here as we make them so that you can see how your donations are directly helping our family in Canoa.