Dr. Casey Caldwell, primary care physician with Mayo Clinic, performs a check-up on a patient.

SAN VICENTE, El Salvador - They happened to be in the right place at the right time.

As part of ongoing partnership with Operation Blessing to bring healthcare to underserved communities, doctors from the Rochester-based Mayo Clinic arrived to El Salvador with a mission in mind: to conduct medical training for hospital and healthcare workers and provide free care to patients in hospitals, city clinics and residents in rural communities.

But their mission changed course when earlier that week torrential downpours set off mud slides that devastated towns throughout the country.

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“The smell of death is in the air,” noted Dr. Steve Adamson, as he and other doctors walked the streets of San Vicente where mud, rocks, trees, and boulders the size of houses poured into the region from the mountainside, destroying the town.

But in the face of disaster, he and the other doctors from Minnesota were able to provide hope and care for survivors, including young Isabel.

Disaster relief teams found the 13-year-old girl sifting through the mound of debris where her house had once stood—trying to salvage what remained of her family’s belongings.

During the landslides, Isabel was knocked unconscious by falling debris while trying to help her grandmother escape.

Disaster relief teams found 13-year-old Isabel, above, sifting through the mound of debris where her house had once stood.

“When I awoke, I felt as though I was drowning,” she said.

A young man helped Isabel to safety, saving her life. Later that week, Mayo doctors treated her and dozens of other victims for injuries, providing them with free medicine at clinics set up at two relief shelters in the area.

“We are so grateful to the Mayo team who arrived to San Salvador ready and willing to offer help in a moment of crisis,” said Tatiana Castaneda, a staff member with Operation Blessing El Salvador.

In addition to medical relief, OBI disaster relief teams also distributed buckets of dried fruit, blankets, plastic tarps to cover roofs, propane gas for refugee shelters and other necessary supplies.

HOW YOU CAN HELP
You can help by making an online donation toward OBI's disaster relief efforts. With your support, we can continue to provide emergency relief and recovery. Please make an on-line donation today.

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