Mexico quake: in the ruins of home

Mexico quake: in the ruins of home

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Rubble is all that remains of hundreds of houses rend asunder by the earthquake that struck Mexico in September, leaving owners lodging with relatives or friends, hoping their homes can be rebuilt or they can find new ones.

At least 369 people died in the 7.1 magnitude quake that hit central Mexico, causing more devastation in the capital than any since the 1985 disaster that killed thousands.

. San Francisco Xochiteopan, Mexico. Reuters/Edgard Garrido
66-year-old Prudencio Gutierrez, a farm worker, whose house was badly damaged said: "The most valuable thing that I recovered was my hat. The authorities said they were going to help us build a house, but I do not know if it's true."

Damage to housing was particularly striking in central areas of the country close to the epicentre of the quake southeast of Mexico City in the states of Puebla and Morelos.

Some houses were simply flattened by the shuddering tectonic shift which the government and the private sector estimated caused billions of dollars of damage.

. Jojutla De Juarez, Mexico. Reuters/Edgard Garrido

"I lost everything. My aunt died here," said Ana Maria Hernandez, 37, a clothing salesperson, as diggers cleared away the wreckage of her home in Jojutla de Juarez, Morelos.

Now living with relatives, she and many others hope their destroyed homes will eventually be rebuilt.

But uncertainty clouds the future for some.

. San Juan Pilcaya, Mexico. Reuters/Edgard Garrido

Veronica Dircio, a 34-year-old housewife said "nothing was left" of the house she and her children called home before the earthquake hammered the town of San Juan Pilcaya in Puebla.

"We're worried because they came and did a census of the homes; and whether it's a big house or a small house, they haven't told us if we're at least going to be able to get back a bit of what was once our house," Dircio said.

. Tepalcingo, Mexico. Reuters/Edgard Garrido

Thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed in the quake, which followed another major tremor in the southwest of Mexico two weeks earlier that displaced thousands of people.

Maria Trinidad Gonzalez, 41, managed to salvage some cooking utensils and furniture from the ruins of her home in the small town of Tepalcingo in Morelos. Mounds of fallen bricks and churned up debris covered the floor of her roofless house.

. San Jose Platanar, Mexico. Reuters/Edgard Garrido

With its walls pulled down and the contents strewn outdoors, the house of 70-year-old housewife Maria Guzman in San Jose Platanar in Puebla state was left completely uninhabitable by the quake, forcing her into a shelter.

"The most valuable thing that I recovered was the photo of my wedding day," Guzman said outside the shattered building.

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Slideshow

Hector Guzman, 48, a farm worker and representative of the Municipal President in San Jose Platanar, holds the model of a new house for his father. Guzman is building his father a temporary house with bamboo reeds after it was badly damaged.
. San Jose Platanar, Mexico. Reuters/Edgard Garrido

Hector Guzman, 48, a farm worker and representative of the Municipal President in San Jose Platanar, holds the model of a new house for his father. Guzman is building his father a temporary house with bamboo reeds after it was badly damaged.

Seamstress Teresa Luna, 49, said: "The most valuable thing that I recovered was my dog." She is living in her backyard and hopes to return when the damage is repaired.
. Chietla, Mexico. Reuters/Edgard Garrido

Seamstress Teresa Luna, 49, said: "The most valuable thing that I recovered was my dog." She is living in her backyard and hopes to return when the damage is repaired.

Cenobia Riquelme, 76, suffers from Alzheimer's. Riquelme's house was very badly damaged and her husband was killed. She and her husband were crushed by the rubble. Her husband could not be rescued, but Cenobia was rescued by a soldier. She is living in the backyard and could return home once it's rebuilt. Her son Sebastian said: "My mother searches for my father to make his lunch. This is all very sad and I am worried."
. Jojutla De Juarez, Mexico. Reuters/Edgard Garrido

Cenobia Riquelme, 76, suffers from Alzheimer's. Riquelme's house was very badly damaged and her husband was killed. She and her husband were crushed by the rubble. Her husband could not be rescued, but Cenobia was rescued by a soldier. She is living in the backyard and could return home once it's rebuilt. Her son Sebastian said: "My mother searches for my father to make his lunch. This is all very sad and I am worried."

69-year-old Elena Zapata's house was badly damaged but with the help of her family and soldiers Zapata rescued some furniture. "The most valuable that I have is the life of my granddaughter. We hope the authorities come to visit us. I feel anguish, I hear noises, I just want to cry," Zapata said.
. Tepalcingo, Mexico. Reuters/Edgard Garrido

69-year-old Elena Zapata's house was badly damaged but with the help of her family and soldiers Zapata rescued some furniture. "The most valuable that I have is the life of my granddaughter. We hope the authorities come to visit us. I feel anguish, I hear noises, I just want to cry," Zapata said.

Bricklayer Luis Garcia, 79, said: "No house that I built was damaged by the earthquake." The sign reads "HA" which means habitable.
. Jojutla De Juarez, Mexico. Reuters/Edgard Garrido

Bricklayer Luis Garcia, 79, said: "No house that I built was damaged by the earthquake." The sign reads "HA" which means habitable.

78-year-old Catalina Martinez's house was badly damaged, but with the help of her family Martinez was able to rescue some furniture. She is living in her backyard and hopes that her home can be rebuilt. "I hope the authorities do not deceive us with promises. I do not know what's going to happen to us," Martinez said.
. San Jose Platanar, Mexico. Reuters/Edgard Garrido

78-year-old Catalina Martinez's house was badly damaged, but with the help of her family Martinez was able to rescue some furniture. She is living in her backyard and hopes that her home can be rebuilt. "I hope the authorities do not deceive us with promises. I do not know what's going to happen to us," Martinez said.

Jaime Delgado, 21, an agricultural worker whose house was not damaged, said: "A lady died here, crushed by the rubble. All this is over, now I search pieces of iron to sell. My economic situation is bad."
. Jojutla De Juarez, Mexico. Reuters/Edgard Garrido

Jaime Delgado, 21, an agricultural worker whose house was not damaged, said: "A lady died here, crushed by the rubble. All this is over, now I search pieces of iron to sell. My economic situation is bad."

Rene Contreras, 20, a student, whose house was badly damaged, said: "Now I live with my brother. Tomorrow a good-hearted person will build for me an emergency house. I will fight to get ahead."
. Jojutla De Juarez, Mexico. Reuters/Edgard Garrido

Rene Contreras, 20, a student, whose house was badly damaged, said: "Now I live with my brother. Tomorrow a good-hearted person will build for me an emergency house. I will fight to get ahead."

Juan Sanchez, 53, a parishioner and a church guard whose house wasn't damaged, has offered shelter to some families in his backyard. "We are holding mass under a tent. It is a great sadness, we are waiting for the government's help to rebuild our church," Sanchez said.
. San Juan Pilcaya, Mexico. Reuters/Edgard Garrido

Juan Sanchez, 53, a parishioner and a church guard whose house wasn't damaged, has offered shelter to some families in his backyard. "We are holding mass under a tent. It is a great sadness, we are waiting for the government's help to rebuild our church," Sanchez said.