Well soon enough we figured it out. We didn't know all the particulars until later, but this ship had supplies for us. Donations from people in Quito, we had heard yesterday that people were starving, standing on the side of the road with signs begging for help. (one instance where other expats had a very different earthquake experience than we did.) Well, I guess this was good timing. Later I saw these pictures, so I have more of the story to share.
Fishermen gathered to get instruction, go out to the big boat, get supplies and bring them back to this truck. Someone came around to my house asked how many in our family, and how old we are. Food would be coming in the mañana.
This picture from the Coast Guard boat, brought me to tears when I saw it on Facebook. Wow! All those boats! We watched our boats go out all day, finally Fernando brought us over a couple cans of tuna, and said more would arrive tomorrow.
On land, the supplies went to a building for sorting, wish we had known, we would have helped.
The people who were out on the road with signs, may not have known where their next meal was coming from, but starving I highly doubt. We are strangers in this land, but we knew there would always be something to eat from the ocean. The stores in town had food, until some people stripped the shelves, they had good intentions, it just made for a whirlwind. When word got out that these expats had free food, the were mobbed, not out of control mobbed, just...over run. Who wouldn't want free food? So even though it looked like a need, it may have been a perk, anyway...nobody starved.
We talked to several fishermen and got their stories of the TerreMOTO, most had been out to sea when it occurred. Patricio told us he was bouncing around like popcorn and then bam, every light on land went out! Fernando said it felt just like an earthquake on land, but on the ocean, they cut their ropes and headed for land, his mother, wife and child were home alone!
When we got our food box the next morning, rice, lentils, sugar, tuna, cookies, jello, water, toilet paper, and toiletries. We passed the food on since we were well stocked, but I've used the laundry soap bar, and the toilet paper we did need.(of course I could have purchased it in town)
Another day, I can't believe we've survived six days without power, Mike is really antsy for music, but I'm proud of us! Tomorrow it'll be a week, stay tuned, the adventure continues!
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