On September 8, five miles from San Mateo del Mar, Oaxaca, Mexico, an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.1 devastated southern Mexico. Many towns and cities were destroyed and with the death toll at 90 and continuing to rise, conditions are still worsening. Despite these conditions, locals are trying to move on with life and pick up the pieces of the place they once called home.

“I feel like the stuff I have now I take for granted,” sophomore Jackson Devaughn said. “I feel like the people who lost their things should get some money or supplies to help compensate for their loss.”

Disaster relief and rescue efforts continued many days following the original earthquake. Adding to the mass destruction there was as many as six tremors that could be felt hundreds of miles away. The multiple aftershocks and tremors topped the charts at a 5.0 magnitude.

“To go from having everything to having nothing so quickly is horrifying and I wish the best for those people trying to rebuild their lives,” sophomore Josephine Morgret said. “I’m fortunate enough to have my home and family safe and sound.”