Philippines earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 kills dozens; A local Las Vegas family’s home was destroyed

LAS VEGAS (FOX5) – At least 45 people were killed after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the Philippines on Monday, leaving a trail of devastation across southern Mindanao, the country’s second-most populous region.

For Las Vegas local Almira, the disaster struck close to home. Her family’s house in the Philippines collapsed during the earthquake.

“Suddenly, I received a video from my nephew showing me the building collapsing,” Risa Okup said. “And I thought, ‘Wow, that was a big earthquake.’ A few minutes later, I received a photo from my brother showing that their house had collapsed. I felt so sad for them.”

The family had to take shelter in the shed

One of her family members described the moment the earthquake struck while preparing breakfast.

“So, I’m alone outside, getting ready to eat breakfast and all of a sudden, it’s like an explosion, like this,” Okup said. “Then I run inside our room to grab my baby. You can’t stand, you can’t walk because he’s so shaky, he shakes so bad that way. So, then I run, I have to crawl out to save me and my baby.”

The family crawled to safety when the walls collapsed.

“Then in the blink of an eye, this house collapsed. So, it was really sudden,” Okup said.

The house is now uninhabitable.

“It’s completely damaged, because you can’t get inside, it’s really damaged,” she said.

The family, including a two-year-old child, is now sleeping outside in a shed.

“It’s raining, heavy rain, and all our roofs are raining,” she said. “We’re wet and drenched. And we’re sleeping, like, so cold, so cold. And in the morning, my baby’s coughing.”

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More than 2,000 aftershocks were reported

The family says that the constant aftershocks increased their trauma. More than 2,000 aftershocks were reported, some with a magnitude of 6.4.

“Our children, every time after trauma, have nerves,” Okup said. “They’re, they’re, they’re shaking. They’re crying.”

The family says it took more than a decade to build the house, using savings from working abroad.

“And then, in the blink of an eye, it became like this,” she said.

Limited government assistance

Almira Anderson says help on the ground is limited and resources are stretched thin. The family says they have received little government assistance.

“Mostly just a little rice,” Okup said.

Daily life has been turned upside down, with businesses closed and access to food limited.

“And I thought no one could ever recover from that, you know, since life there is really hard to begin with,” Anderson said. “And you know, my brother’s story is just one of thousands of stories of families in the same situation. They’re going through the same situation now. And they need help.”

Anderson says when disasters like this happen, help needs to be provided immediately and deeply. Donated funds go to basic needs such as food, clean water, shelter, medical care and rebuilding. It also gives families hope and reminds them that they are not forgotten.

Officials say more than a dozen people are still missing and more than 25,000 people have been displaced.

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