Sunday May 23, 2010
[1] LINCOLN ALEGRE (52) The Boy Who Lived by going to the circus
"I lived and still live in Mancos, a district located seven minutes drive from Yungay. At that time, families from nearby villages were going to Yungay to distract, to spend Sunday. Just this May 31, more than ever, we were alone, my three brothers and I saw there a matinee circus. My parents stayed at home. I was turning 12 and I went with my sister Rachel, who was 14, Martha, 10 and my brother Jesus, 3. Also with a group of friends from Mancos, there were about 20 children. I think the circus was called Verolina, I do not remember ... The car dropped us off at the Plaza de Armas. Usually, before going to see the functions, we always went to eat ice cream at Nice, the best ice cream I had, I think, in the Callejon de Huaylas. I remember that very clearly. But this time we spend not prove anything because we were late. We went running to the stadium where was the circus. If we had stayed in the plaza ...
Then we
. Should have about 300 children, still did not start the function. Even five minutes we were inside the tent when the quake began. Older people started yelling, "Earthquake! Barrage! "We all came to the center of a gram of the stadium. When we saw that the walls had fallen, began to run toward the hill Atma, was there no more. As kids, every one save his own skin, we separated. As we climbed, we saw how the flood carried away the stadium. Everyone who ran in the direction of the city ... already died on the way up the hill, we went encountered by children of the circus, but there were also adults. At the top I met with my brothers. They were good, but scared. Nothing could be seen in the dust. It was 5 pm but it looked at night. And people were screaming. Just set up a camp there were injured and everyone was shouting. Children looking for their parents and parents to their children. And still shaking. The older we asked our sweaters to make a large banner that raised by the cloud of dust and be seen by helicopter, but did not serve. We collected four days later. On Thursday June 4th. "
[2] Almachius ORTEGA (63)
's Keeper the buried city
"My name is Almachius Ortega López. I have 63 years and am Yungainos of life. I have always lived here, except for one time I went to the coast to seek better future, not found. Then I came back. Even before the quake alive in what was a wisp of the old May 2 Yungay, near the hill Aura. My house is still there, buried near the city, not inside the cemetery. That morning
May 31 I had reached the city of Lima. He worked as assistant to a truck, it is buried under the famous coach of the Carrier Ancash, that is turned to day today and with everyone taking pictures of memory. After resting a few hours I bought a beer and stayed at my house to listen to radio the start of the World Cup in Mexico 70. Mexico played against Russia. Suddenly began to shake todito, strong, sounded really loud. As eight years earlier had dropped a large landslide on Ranrahirca (a nearby town), I thought it was there and I did not move, but then when I saw him come to Yungay I said "this is the end." But God did not want it and the mud came within meters of my house. Not played for very little. Aura I ran to the hill where we saved a few. I'm here, but I lost my mother and two of my brothers.
For several decades I have carefully buried city of Yungay, or the cemetery. They wanted to come and dig up the houses and take things, track where were the banks to get deposit boxes and I've stopped. This is my town and if I did not die then, I will be playing, but it will be here. Even that, I guide and planting roses and hydrangeas are. In memory, then, of those below. "
[3] CICO ALAMO (70) The teacher who saw it all
"I was director of a school in Shacsha, 10 minutes of Yungay. By custom, the May last day he prayed to the Virgin, so that afternoon I had to go to school. On the way I met two friends. We were laughing with them when the quake began. The two knelt, began to scream. I was against the Huascaran and saw that there was not a cloud in the sky. But then, as it moved the ground began to fall I saw huge amounts of ice, and huge chunks of cotton. I started yelling "avalanche! At the hill! ". It was when the foot of the mountain stood a dark gray mist.
started running towards the hill Aura while we saw that huge stones flew overhead. It came Climbing the mud ... we saw how the flood was Ranrahirca and other peoples. At the peak I saw my land Yungay made a quagmire. Were only four Palmeritas. Everything was completely level.
After a while I went downstairs to find my family. Not found them. Gone were my dad, my mom and sister. Later find the leather jacket my dad stuck in the mud. I recognized it because he was a locksmith and his pocket plans for a project he was doing. It could only be yours. The next morning we went to retrieve the body of a woman almost buried because she believed it was my mother, but it was Luzmila Cotrina Huamán of a lady Yungay highly respected. We covered his body with sack and left. Hours later we found sitting. She was alive after being submerged more than 15 hours in the frozen mud! Some bastard had taken the bags and she was naked. When he recognized me he said: "Cico," so I got? "I took off my jacket and placed it green. I said, "Madam, I will bring relief". "
