BAKERSFIELD, CA (December 20, 2017) — NBC station KGET 17 will air a 30-minute broadcast tonight that will highlight the work of the Ecuador Covenant Church (IPEE) and other organizations as they help that country on its slow road to recovery following last year’s deadly earthquake.
The report will be broadcast at 6 pm (Pacific). It can be viewed on the station’s website starting Thursday.
The station ran a five-minute report last May.
KGET reporter Lori Lizarraga was visiting her family in Punta Blanca when the 7.8 earthquake hit on April 16, 2016. For 53 terrifying seconds it collapsed buildings, destroyed roads, and ripped apart water supplies while cutting off access to food and medical care in many parts of the country.
When it was over, 26,000 Ecuadorans were left homeless, 16,000 injured, and nearly 700 killed.
Lizarraga stayed another 10 weeks to help with relief work. She raised thousands of dollars, led food supply missions throughout the country, and did whatever else was needed. “I love the country of Ecuador deeply,” she said.
Much suffering continues despite the immense amount of work that has been done. In the March/April 2017 issue of the Companion, Covenant missionary Erik Amundsen wrote, “Thousands still live in temporary government tent camps and receive help from non-government organizations as well as the government. Others live in makeshift structures under old billboards eating whatever they can find.”
The work of IPEE to provide relief supplies and ongoing recovery efforts will continue for many years to come.
But the tragedy that devastated so many lives has been forgotten by many people outside the country. Now Lizarraga wants to raise awareness of the immense needs that continue.
Last April Lizarraga and a team returned to do a special report on recovery efforts. “We interviewed roughly 30 locals affected by the earthquake—those who lost loved ones or their homes, and many who are still living with the destruction,” she said.
As she interviewed people, she kept hearing about the work of the IPEE to provide relief supplies and its ongoing recovery efforts. That work will continue for many years to come. Covenant World Relief is funding a long-term project in the city of Manta to be implemented by the church.
“Residents who lost their livelihoods are receiving training and small grants to start small businesses such as restaurants, mini-markets, beauty salons, and a motorcycle parts store,” Amundsen wrote. “Through the creation of businesses, the once-devastated community is rebuilding so that families can sustain themselves and the community can flourish.”
