MEXICO – Huddling under the kitchen table, Yaretzy and her husband clung to their 3-year-old son and shielded the tiny newborn baby in their arms as the wind from Hurricane Otis pounded their home in Acapulco, Mexico. Over and over the young mother cried, pleading for the winds to stop, but the unexpected Category 5 hurricane was relentless. It tore through their roof and ceiling, leaving the terrified family drenched—even toppling over their refrigerator.
Just two days before the storm hit, Yaretzy and her husband had welcomed their second baby boy, Dylan, into the family. As he had been born several weeks early, they were overjoyed, unaware that trouble was brewing in the Pacific.
The young family was prepared for a tropical storm like other storms they had encountered—never dreaming this one would grow into a monster that would turn at the last minute to rip their home and lives apart. “We had never experienced anything like this,” Yaretzy told us. She even feared it would kill her baby. “The wind was very strong. We were screaming for it to stop.”
When the storm was finally over, their trouble was just beginning. The destruction that Otis left behind overwhelmed Yaretzy. She cried most of the day, wishing it was all just a nightmare. But it wasn’t. Everything the young couple owned was gone.
For three days, they wore wet clothes and searched for food, water, and something dry to sleep on. All they had for little Dylan was a plastic box for him to rest in.
You Provided Shelter After Hurricane Otis with Supplies and Comfort
Then you reached out and surrounded Yaretzy and her family with love and compassion. Your generosity provided them with clean bottled water, food, an air mattress, pillows, hygiene items, and the supplies she needed to take care of her children—even toys for 3-year-old Diego and a crib for baby Dylan.
Yaretzy couldn’t contain her tears—this time, tears of joy. “I didn’t imagine they were things for the baby,” she cried. “Before,I put him in a little box that is plastic, but I don’t put him there anymore. Now, I put him in the crib.” And young Diego was overjoyed with the toys you sent him. “I saw Diego happy, and I hadn’t seen him like that.”
For the first time since the storm, Yaretzy and her family were able to sleep through the night. “I feel blessed, more than anything,” she told us with a smile on her face. And she has you to thank!
With your support, we were also able to provide hot meals, water purification systems, and medical care to many other families who were hurting after Hurricane Otis. Your kindness is giving them hope and shining God’s love in the middle of a terrible disaster. Thank you for being a shelter from Hurricane Otis!
