Arizona resident describes deadly Mexico City earthquake as ‘chaotic’
Sep 20, 2017, 7:28 PM | Updated: Sep 21, 2017, 10:28 am
Rescue workers search for people trapped in a collapsed building in the Piedad Narvarte neighborhood of Mexico City, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. A magnitude 7.1 earthquake has stunned central Mexico, killing more than 100 people as buildings collapsed in plumes of dust. Thousands fled into the streets in panic, and many stayed to help rescue those trapped. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
PHOENIX — Chaotic: That’s how a Valley resident described her experience during Tuesday’s earthquake in Mexico City.
Faviola York from San Tan Valley was there visiting family members. In a phone interview from Mexico, she told KTAR News she had just finished eating at a restaurant with her 97-year-old grandfather when the earthquake hit.
“Then the next thing you know, within seconds, everything starts moving,” she said. “You start seeing the brick walls — they were falling down. It was just chaos.”
She said the first thing she did was hang on to her grandfather, who has trouble walking, so he wouldn’t fall. All around them, the ground was shaking and the walls of several buildings began crumbling down. The two were close to a school at the time.
“The kids were coming out of school, so there were moms and little kids everywhere,” she said. “Everybody started screaming and yelling.”
York said she and her grandfather were not hurt. Their family members in Mexico City and around the area were also not injured.
“I’m so grateful to God that we’re okay,” she said. “But I still get emotional when I talk about this. You see that your life could end in an instance, and you really can’t do anything about it.”
As of Wednesday, at least 225 people were reported dead after the massive 7.1 magnitude earthquake. A school in Mexico City was among the buildings hit hard, with 25 confirmed dead there and most of them were children.
