Summary: Search teams continue to look through rubble for survivors days after an earthquake hit Ecuador's Pacific coast on Saturday around 7 p.m. This 7.8 earthquake has killed at least 413 people and left at least 2,500 injured. Some of the damages include a shopping mall partially collapsing onto customers and many buildings flattening. This earthquake was the most fatal to hit Ecuador since March of 1987. 6 of the country's provinces are in states of emergency. The nation deployed 10,000 soldiers and 4,600 cops to various affected areas. Troops set up temporary hospitals and shelters. Search dogs are also used to help find people, and locating pets is a priority, too. Getting supplies and rescue crews to the areas is difficult because of the lack of water and means of communication. President Rafael Correa came back to Ecuador and arrived in the city of Portoviejo on Sunday night after leaving early from his visit to a Vatican conference. Ecuador's Interior Ministry required all nightlife venues in affected areas to close, and Ecuador's soccer federation suspended the tournament for the championship title. International aid has been given to Ecuador, especially from The United Nations. The UN (America being one of the current members) said it was preparing a "major aid airlift," and private aid organizations are also doing what they can.
Analysis: This event can be synthesized to Hurricane Katrina. There are some similarities and differences between the 2 natural disasters. Similarly, the 2 events have affected the lives of hundreds of people, and have split up families, destroyed homes, and caused people to lose their jobs. However, the government at the time of Katrina has been accused of not caring enough for the people of New Orleans, and not doing enough to help them recover. I hope that the government of Ecuador is able to recover fully from the earthquake, so it does not turn out like how Katrina did. Hopefully, with the help of other nations like the U.S., Ecuador can get back on its feet.
Link: http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/18/americas/ecuador-earthquake/
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