How to help earthquake relief efforts in Mexico
TUCSON — More than 24 hours after an earthquake leveled buildings and killed hundreds of people in Mexico City, the phones at a Mexican government call center here continued to ring non-stop.
Most callers on Wednesday wanted to know two things: Can you help me reach my family in Mexico? And how can I help?
Tucson's Mexican Consulate houses the Center for Information and Aid to Migrants (CIAM), a hotline for the millions of Mexicans living in the United States.
As Americans viewed harrowing images of collapsed buildings and frantic rescue attempts on television and social media, CIAM saw a surge in calls from concerned family members across the U.S. trying to get in touch with loved ones in central Mexico.
"At the moment, all efforts from the government are focused on rescuing victims, looking after them and surveying personal and material damages," said Ricardo Pineda, the Mexican consul in Tucson.
DÍAZ:Mexico earthquake victims need your help
Since the quake, Pineda said his staff has been checking the names of unresponsive family members in Mexico with hospitals, non-profits and government databases, shared across the 50 consulates around the U.S. But he said their work has been hampered by damaged communication infrastructure, although most phone lines seem to be functioning.
A majority of the calls CIAM has been getting are from people who want to help the victims.
Mexican consulates in the U.S. said they're not accepting emergency care items yet. Instead, they're channeling all aid efforts through the Mexican Red Cross' website. (The website is in Spanish, and donation amounts are in pesos, not dollars.)
"We haven't received instructions to become collection points at the Mexican consulates because sending the items to where they're needed becomes a challenge," he said. "Sending a truck to Mexico City now, it's not only costly, but also logistically difficult."
Beware of scams
After Hurricanes Harvey and Irma ravaged Texas and Florida, the Arizona Attorney General's Office issued a warning about fake accounts and fake charities looking to scam people who want to donate.
A spokeswoman for the attorney general said people should be on the lookout for similar scams if they donate to relief efforts in Mexico.
"The tips we provided still apply even though the disaster took place in another country," Mia Garcia said. "People should still use reputable charities like the Red Cross Mexico and go directly to those charities’ websites."
Other tips include never giving out banking and personal information over the phone and never sending cash.
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