Yesterday was 38 years since the Mexico City earthquake of 1985, when we and our dogs joined the search for survivors as part of an ad hoc “U.S. Team.” Here’s our story in brief – a longer version would note that, months after the mission, we learned our dogs’ “live” alerts contributed to the rescue of at least two women from the rubble.
Mexico City, September 19
We rendezvous by email, phone, Zoom. We lost contact decades ago, got back in touch. 38 years today since quake shook the city, shook us together with our dogs. Military transport into disaster. We didn’t know each other. We were a team 5 days searching for survivors; then flew home to opposite coasts, our old lives. Now we reminisce: crawling between collapsed floors; learning to read & trust each other’s dogs: “live” or “dead” alert? Concrete dust & stench; aftershocks, tremors. Stress erupting after-hours in crazy laughing. Now, email, phone, Zoom –
those dogs long gone now,
some of our teammates too – hold
them in memory.
~ Taylor Graham
