My Grandfather's Life

Carmen V.

Period 5

April 10, 2012

My Grandfather's Life

             My grandpa used to live in Mexico City when the big earthquake happened. It happened in 1985 and was a magnitude 8.3. He was by himself in the house because my grandma and my aunt went to the store. He was getting ready to go to work when suddenly everything started to fall so he was worried because of my grandma and my aunt. He was trying to walk to the door but it fell in his back, he was trying to escape but he couldn’t because his leg was broken. His house was destroyed but he didn’t care about it because he was worried about his family. After the earthquake finished he went to the store and he found my grandma and my aunt on the floor. My grandma was crying because my aunt’s arm was bleeding, they tried to escape from the store and my grandpa took them to the hospital. On his way to the hospital he saw that many houses were destroyed and a lot of people were looking for their relatives. When he was in the hospital the doctor told him that my aunt was ok. He told me that he was sad because other people in the family were hurt, but at the same time he was happy because nothing happened to my grandma and my aunt. “The event caused between three and four billion USD in damage as 412 buildings collapsed and another 3,124 were seriously damaged in the city.”  (Wikipedia).  “According to official estimates, 10,000 people were killed, 50,000 were injured, and 250,000 people were left homeless. It is believed that the death was underestimated and that as many as 40,000 to 50,000 people may have lost their lives”. This was one of the most important events in my grandpa’s life and he will never forget it.