Make way for the skinny men with the determined faces
September 20, 2017 9:29 AM   Subscribe

Two things emerged from the rubble of Mexico City after the devastating 1985 earthquake that killed 30,000 people: the first one is the national spirit of solidarity and compassion that compels every Mexican to drop everything and rush to help those in need. The second one is the Topos.

The Brigada de Rescate Topos is a group of volunteers that travel to natural disasters all over the world to aid in search and rescue operations. In typical Mexican fashion, they got their name, the moles, from what they do: they burrow and wriggle deep into collapsed buildings, at immense risk to their own lives, to rescue people trapped inside.

From Nepal to NYC to Peru, they've extracted people from hopeless situations and earned respect and appreciation from people and governments alike.

Right now, they're back where they began, crawling into destroyed buildings in Mexico City, digging for men, women and children who desperately text their loved to say that they're still alive and asking if someone is coming to get them. Everyone's hoping the Topos will.
posted by Cobalt (6 comments total) 58 users marked this as a favorite
 
I will donate! What amazing people! Thank you for posting!
posted by WalkerWestridge at 10:13 AM on September 20, 2017 [1 favorite]


Their site won't load for me, which I assume is because so many people are donating! I will too as soon as I can. Do they sell merch? I want some merch!
posted by cilantro at 10:39 AM on September 20, 2017 [3 favorites]


Seattle should contract with these guys to do practice drills on a regular basis.
posted by Mei's lost sandal at 10:59 AM on September 20, 2017 [3 favorites]


The Paypal donation won't work for me; it says the recipient cannot receive personal payment. Any tips?
posted by quadrilaterals at 12:47 PM on September 20, 2017


With my U.S.-based account, I was able to make a donation by using the "Pay for goods or services" option on the PayPal home page rather than "Send money to friends and family."
posted by metaquarry at 1:56 PM on September 20, 2017 [4 favorites]


Uf. Que heroes.
posted by radicalawyer at 2:43 PM on September 20, 2017 [3 favorites]


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