Update: Parents of local woman safe, accounted for after Ecuadorian quake
Larry and Sarah Higgins, parents of Paso Robles residents Cid Newsome, are alive after earthquake in Ecuador.
Updated posted April 22, 5:45 a.m.
Couple safe and plan to stay in Ecuador
– Paso Robles resident Cid Newsome has been able to speak again to her parents Larry and Sarah Higgins on Thursday who are safe and with friends after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Ecuador Saturday destroyed their village and collapsed their apartment.
Newsome’s husband, Life Community Church Pastor Keith Newsome, said his wife spoke to them on Thursday and it was quite a task to do so. “When the earthquake hit they said they have never felt shaking like that before,” he said. “They apartment was on the second floor and when the earthquake hit the apartment exterior wall fell out and the people on the floor below were able to climb up and help them out, they then took them to some relatives nearby so they had somewhere to stay that night.”
About 75 per-cent of the buildings in the town where they were living are gone, Newsome said. “We pieced together that they had no power or water, but after the first night they made it to their friends about 15 miles away and they have said they have no intention of coming back as they feel safe…they have a close-knit community through their church and all the people they know made it through.”
A GoFundMe account was set up to raise money so that they could return to the United States permanently, although the couple have decided to stay in Ecuador. Newsome said the minute they found out they were safe they stopped the account and the money will be held incase there is future need for them to return home. “If the do not need the money they have asked that we donate it to the people in Ecuador to help with disaster relief.”
Original story posted April, 20 5:45 a.m.
Local resident’s 85-year-old parents confirmed alive after 20-second phone call
–The 85-year-old parents of Paso Robles resident Cid Newsome, Larry and Sarah Higgins, are alive but unable to be contacted after their home in Ecuador was destroyed by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake Saturday, Apr. 16.
The earthquake has killed approximately 400 people and injured more than 2,600 with numbers expected to increase, the Ecuadorian government said.
Newsome’s husband, Life Community Church Pastor Keith Newsome, said his wife’s parents called over the weekend after the earthquake and left a 20 second garbled message. “They said they are alive but their home was destroyed and they didn’t have anywhere to live,” he said.
Some of the wreckage from the quake. Photo from NBC.
The Higgins relocated to Ecuador after retirement they are originally from Washington State. Pastor Newsome said they wanted to move somewhere warm by the ocean where they could live more comfortably off their social security payments.
“The first impulse you have is to get on a plane but they are only letting in relief planes,” he said. “We have no idea where to look for them and would only be a burden and an extra mouth to feed…We are going to do everything we can to bring them back here…So far we haven’t been able to get in contact with them or any of their friends again, we are just grateful they are alive.”
Newsome said they didn’t know how much destruction had occurred in the town they lived. “In Ecuador the building codes are horrendous which is why you get so much destruction…Our church is in prayer and we are just trying to stay calm and hoping to make contact.”
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has deployed a team of disaster experts to respond to humanitarian needs in Ecuador’s north, the government said. The team will assist the Government of Ecuador by assessing damage, humanitarian needs and analyzing the situation on the ground. A separate support team, also deployed by USAID, will work with the UN’s Disaster Assessment and Coordination team, which is helping Ecuador coordinate international rescue activities. USAID is also providing an initial $100,000 for critical supplies to help communities affected by the earthquake.
Comments
