Sending Our Thoughts And Prayers To Mexico

With part of our team based in Mexico City, we were horrified to hear of the events unfolding after the earthquake last week. Our hearts went out to everyone affected by the crisis, but especially to our Mexican team members and their families.
There was little we could do for them from a distance. Closing the office immediately until further notice, and making sure all of our team members were safe was about the extent of it, but we all wished we could do more.
Mercifully, every person in our Namecheap family was safe, although Santiago Salazar spoke to us about the fear of not knowing that he experienced initially:

At first, I was unable to find most of my family. The communication lines were down, so I stuck with one of my workmates and accompanied her as close to her boyfriend’s home as I could. Eventually, I found my family, and finally, my girlfriend. 

It can be too easy to sit on the peripheral of a disaster and say ‘If I were there, I would . . .’ —but how many of us truly know what we would do?  Upon seeing the devastation on parts of the city they’ve known their entire lives, many of our Mexican team felt compelled to help rescue workers. They are mostly based outside of the affected area, so they traveled to the heart of the destruction to help. Hugo Moreno told us:

For me personally, it was extremely shocking, and even now, I still can’t believe that all this happened right in the neighborhood where I grew up; it was one of the most affected areas.

Many of our volunteers worked around the clock with rescue workers, delivering food, medicines, and even donating their blood—doing anything they could to help the cause:

The day after the earthquake, I rose early and went to help at the site of an elementary school that had fallen. I’ve never experienced more sadness in my life, and the mental pictures still bite away at my mind. – Santiago
I decided that I needed to help with things that were really needed for the rescue operations. I had the chance to go to one of the affected zones, near to the downtown area, and it was really sad. I saw very popular houses and restaurants totally destroyed. Also the suffering of the people that lost their loved ones. I learned more about being more compassionate. I consider myself a lucky and fortunate person to be safe and be here to tell the story to all. – Angela Bejar

Many team members were literally digging through rubble to save lives. The bravery required to take such steps is enormous, and we can’t commend them enough for what they did. Hugo explained to us some of what he experienced firsthand:

In the two days after the earthquake, I decided to go to the two complex buildings that fell. I stayed there all day, removing all the rubble and helping to organize the supplies. I had the opportunity to work along with the rescue team and the army, and I saw them find someone who lost their life, but they also rescued someone who was still alive. 

Many of the stories we have heard from our team focus on the coming together of people for the common cause; a unity among strangers:

I now know the people in Mexico is made of: people helping each other, giving for free all they have in order to support other ones it doesn’t matter if they didn’t know them. Kids, the young, seniors carrying rubble stone by stone with naked hands, unknowns risking their lives to rescue somebody others. No social classes, just the will to help people to get recovered from this. – Jafet Sánchez

The camaraderie experienced during the ongoing relief effort is something they will never forget.

One thing that will warm my heart forever is the amount of brotherhood and support shown by the population during this trial. – Santiago

Many barely slept as they continued the rescue operation, and of course, the same goes for the military and professional rescue workers:

The Army, the Navy and the engineers worked tirelessly. There was a crane working with exact precision, marking walls as it continued the search. When it moved, the silence was absolute. It had a Mexican flag in the tip. With every move it made, our hearts shuddered. The military stood in front of us to protect us. Once a piece of wall was on the ground, they broke it down it in minutes. Then we’d start again: quickly passing the buckets to remove the debris as quickly as possible. – Hector Garcia & Alejandra Barreiro

Many caught up in the crises felt their outlook had changed somewhat given what they had experienced.

I learned more about being more compassionate. I consider myself a lucky and fortunate person to be safe and be here to tell the story to all. – Angela

Commenting on this tragic event, relief worker Heriberto Marin felt humbled by what he had seen.

These kinds of things make you really appreciate what you have and makes you think how fortunate we were and are.

The stories and photos from our team members go some way to help us understand the unimaginable horror and grief Mexico is suffering. We cannot express the enormity of what they endured, and the admirable way they dealt with it over several solid days.  
Spare your thoughts and prayers for everyone in Mexico, and consider the bravery of all of those that were involved in the rescue mission.

Please join us in helping with the ongoing relief efforts in Mexico by donating to these organizations:

Direct Relief, has pledged 100% of proceeds will go directly to relief efforts. Likewise, GlobalGiving promises that all money donated to the Mexican earthquake fund will go directly to the people who need it.

Below are some of the photos taken by our team in Mexico: