We Survived the Earthquake. Now Comes the Hard Part.

The ground moved on August 10, and it didn't stop for a long time. I stood perplexed at the falling wall of our house while Aswin froze completely and couldn't take his eyes off the floor.

He had never felt an earthquake before, as it's not common in India. For me, though, this was the first serious one I experienced in my adult lifetime.

We are safe, along with our family and friends, and our house is still standing. That's more than a lot of families in Pereira can say right now.

And we are extremely grateful for that!

What Happened

A 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit Chocó, our neighboring state, around 7:34 am on Monday, August 10. It lasted about a minute, but it felt like wayyy longer.

By the time the shaking stopped in Pereira, people were already calling it the strongest earthquake to hit Colombia this century. It tore through Cali, Quibdó, and Manizales too, and whole neighborhoods came down.

More than 300 people died, and the earthquake injured thousands more. Some families are still waiting for news, and we think about them often.

I (Luisa) couldn't reach my parents for hours. They were in different places when it hit, and the phone lines just stopped working.

Aswin's parents sat in India, thousands of miles away, unable to do anything but wait for a call or message from us.

Thankfully, we were able to reunite with my parents after a few hours and call Aswin's parents to let them know we were safe.

We got lucky, and I keep saying that because it's true. Our families are okay, and our house still stands, even with a hole where part of the roof and the third floor (second floor in India) should be.

Right now the roof up there is just plastic sheeting. We tied it down ourselves, and somehow, it's still holding.

How Pereira Showed Up

Here's the part that I will never forget in my life. Friends, family, and strangers spent days clearing rubble with their bare hands, bringing us food, groceries, and other necessities throughout, and psychologists offered free sessions to anyone who needed to talk.

People brought us real bricks for rebuilding, and they did it before we even asked.

We're still waiting on the government to inspect the house before real reconstruction can start, and that part is taking forever. But the plastic roof is holding, and Pereira hasn't stopped showing up for itself.

Somehow, tragedy brings together people from all walks of life like nothing else.

How You Can Help

We won't pretend we need this more than anyone else in the city. A lot of families lost everything, and we only lost a floor.

Rebuilding still costs money we don't have right now, and every bit of assistance helps.

If you're in Colombia, you can send support through Bre-B Llave. If you're anywhere else, PayPal works too.

💛 Bre-B Llave: @DAVILTL377

🌐 PayPal: paypal.me/LuTrujillo735

That PayPal account belongs to my (Luisa) father, Luis Trujillo, and he's helping us receive funds from abroad.

You don't have to send anything at all. Sharing this post, or the video, already helps more than you might think.

We're safe, and we're rebuilding. We'll keep you posted as that roof stops being plastic and starts being a roof again.

We also made a video walking through all of this, if you want to see and hear it in our own words. Adding them below.

Thank you for all the concern and support! 🙏

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