Ninja Taprogge, CARE Emergency Communications Officer
Is there commonality between an earthquake and surfing? Not really, some might think. But the 18-year-old Iven teaches us something different:
“When the wave hits, you have to be focused. You need to maintain a high level of concentration at all times. If you want to be an excellent surfer, a certain amount of self-control is absolutely necessary. I became calmer through surfing, however I never expected this to have an impact on other parts of my life. But when the earthquake hit, I showed composure.
I love surfing. I used to ride my bike to the beach every day. I live in the tropics, in a small community called Rio Canoa. It takes me more than 45 minutes to get from my village to the Surf Club in the city. Here, on the North-Western coast of Ecuador, there are a lot of surfers. They come from all over the world. An Australian guy taught me how to surf. When he returned home, he gave me his surfboard as a gif. Ever since, I go out to surf as often as I can.
Iven Barberan,18 years-old in Rio Canoa speaking to CARE WASH specialist Amilcar Miron during CARE visit to his village following the 7.8 Earthquake in Ecuador. Rio Canoa, Manabi Province Ecuador. 4/26/2016 Photo: CARE/Brendan Bannon
The shock
On that Saturday night, April 16, when the terrible earthquake rocked my country, I was at home. I sat in the kitchen and wanted to eat something. Suddenly our furniture and kitchen equipment started to move. I tried to hold on to the door frame, but the shock was too strong. I fell on the floor. People called for help from everywhere. They were screaming. Ambulances rushed into the area. Suddenly, I got dizzy. When the quake subsided, I sat down to breathe. After that I called my mother. Luckily, she had survived the earthquake without any injuries.
The disaster changes everything. The Surf Club is a pile of rubble. The beach promenade lies in ruins. Over the years, more and more tourists came to Canoa. As a consequence, many hotel owners built second or third floors to their hotels without permission. They just wanted to earn more money, disregarding security measures for safe buildings. Today, no one goes to the beach anymore. Nobody feels safe in the water. I am afraid, too. I don’t surf anymore, I don’t swim. I hope that one day I will dare to go back into the waters.
Nearly two weeks have gone since the earthquake hit. There is not much help for our community because it is far away from urban centers. But there is hope. CARE supports us with a water tank and the people of Rio Canoa are strong. They are hands-on. They know how to live their lives. And I will support my city and my community in rebuilding, even if it will be a long and difficult path.”