On Wednesday at 1:15 p.m., millions of Mexicans heard the earthquake alarms and left their buildings for a safe place, trying to follow the procedure established for emergencies just like these. The sound brought them memories of fear and frustration, but also of the solidarity that many of them lived through as they helped each other remove debris to help survivors of the earthquake of 2017.
Every year since 1985, residents of Mexico City and nearby areas hold a drill commemorating the powerful earthquake that killed thousands on Sept. 19. But in 2017, the drill was followed by an actual earthquake that again brought buildings down and sparked a feeling of community in one of the most populated cities in the world.
But this year’s activities didn’t end at the drill. Organizations and individuals that were affected by the Earth's unbridled power, and who are still struggling to recover a small part of what they lost, held memorials and protests in Mexico City as a response to the government's incompetence.
Entire housing units fell and 411 other buildings were left unusable, out of which only 62 have actually been demolished. The government promised solutions but instead just offered credit lines to those affected to rebuild homes that they had spent their whole lives paying for. More than 30 thousand people in Mexico City were left homeless and they still have not seen real support from the government. There’s not even an official list of affected people to help reconstruction efforts.