A 7.1 magnitude earthquake on Tuesday left Mexico devastated, with the death toll rising to at least 217 people killed and dozens of buildings destroyed.
This disaster, which hit near Mexico City, came on the heels of an 8.1 magnitude earthquake that struck off Mexico’s coast less than two weeks ago. The country, residents and emergency personnel in the area, already attempting to recover from one natural disaster, are now reeling as the attempts to find survivors and put back together the battered city are underway.
Here’s how you can help those efforts:
You can help the Mexican Red Cross’s first aid and disaster relief efforts with either a monetary donation or by directly buying items in need through Amazon. The Mexican Red Cross has opened a Wish List on Amazon.com.mx and the company will deliver the products directly to the Red Cross. You can also donate money here to help the overall efforts, which include more than 500 volunteers and staff who were activated in the hours immediately following the earthquake.
Project Paz, a New York-based nonprofit that helps Latino children, has partnered with the El Paso Community Foundation to facilitate earthquake relief in Mexico. You can donate online here and 100 percent of the donations will go to help earthquake victims in Chiapas and Oaxaca, according to the nonprofit.
In the U.S., you can support people affected in #Mexico by making a tax-deductible donation at https://t.co/6xcRyJDpuT. #earthquake pic.twitter.com/lKYgv4nQbE
— PROJECT PAZ (@ProjectPaz) September 19, 2017
Oxfam, an international confederation in more than 90 countries, is highlighting its Mexico branch for donations and is activating earthquake response in the country. Oxfam’s goals after disaster strikes are to “minimize and alleviate the suffering of people affected by humanitarian crises, to save lives and increase communities’ resilience to future disasters,” according to its website.
Organizations particularly aimed at helping children are calling out for donations in the wake of the disasters. At least one of the collapsed buildings was a primary school in which more than 20 children and two adults were found dead, and from which another 30 children and 12 adults are missing.
UNICEF Mexico has called this earthquake the “biggest disaster we have experienced this decade,” and is asking for donations in order to help support children and aid their return to school. UNICEF’s focus in Mexico is to ensure that children and adolescents there are guaranteed their rights, including education, protection of all children, including migrants, against violence, sexual exploitation and child labor, and addressing public policy concerning poverty, nutrition, HIV/AIDS and other inequalities.
You can also donate to Save the Children, which has served kids in Mexico since 1973 across education, health, hygiene, nutrition, emergency response and more. Save the Children is on the ground in the vulnerable communities affected by both earthquakes.
Mexican Actress Ana Breco also started a Go Fund Me page that had raised nearly $27,000 in 12 hours on Wednesday.
As the search for survivors is underway, you can also help that effort remotely through social media. Google’s person finder platform is now activated specifically for the Mexico earthquake, which is a way for people to share information about someone’s whereabouts or ask for help in locating a loved one. There’s also a Google Spreadsheet that lists those rescued, and people on Twitter are sharing information about hospitals that are offering free help.
Hospitales que están recibiendo a la gente en urgencias.
Ayúdenme a difundir por favor,#FuerzaMexico #PrayForMexico pic.twitter.com/SXIE6ZcD6a— Hellen Sabina.? (@HellenGarcia201) September 19, 2017
