When Madison College student Paulina Kababie first heard about the earthquake in Mexico last month, she “kept frantically trying to call” her father, but didn’t get a response.

On the night of the earthquake Kababie was finally able to get in touch with her father. “It took me a while to finally speak to him because a lot of the phone lines were down,” Kababie said.

Kababie has many other family members in Mexico City, besides her father. Kababie is from El Paso, Texas, on the border of Juarez, Mexico and New Mexico.

Less than a month ago two earthquakes struck Mexico causing dozens of buildings to crumble and hundreds of citizens to perish.

The 8.1 and 7.1 magnitude earthquakes struck just a week a part from each other, one being on the anniversary of the fatal 1985 Mexico City earthquake.

According to CNN, “President Enrique Peña Nieto said the temblor – felt by about 50 million people across the country – was the strongest earthquake Mexico has experienced in 100 years.”

According to the New York Times, “rescuers were frantically digging out people trapped under rubble, including the children buried beneath their school, volunteers at the scene said Tuesday night. At least 21 students were believed to have been killed in the collapse of the school.”

Kababie, however, wasn’t afraid for her family’s safety. She was more concerned about her father undergoing an extremely stressful situation like this.

“My whole family was safe but was just startled with what had happened,” said Kababie. Facebook allowed her to see that her friends were also indeed OK.

Several of the buildings near her father’s home came down or were heavily damaged.

“In parts of the city, the wreckage was evident immediately, including damage to the main airport. Shattered glass and the splintered edges of buildings spilled onto sidewalks. Nearly all residents of the capital remained outside even after the shaking had faded, fearful of returning to their buildings,” the New York Times reported.

Even after this tragic event, Kababie is still contemplating moving to Mexico City when she graduates. She considers the possible earthquake occurrence, but expresses Mexico City’s beauty and the fact that earthquakes are not something that often transpire.

To help support the victims from the hurricane in Puerto Rico and the earthquake in Mexico, the United Common Ground student organization is reaching out to the Madison College community for donations. The group plans on hosting a silent auction on Oct. 20, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Kababie reflects on Madison College’s assistance and said, “I appreciate that people are being so charitable and trying to find ways to help those in need. I know there’s a lot of people who want to do more but are unable to do so because they don’t know what to do or they can’t afford to go to the location and help out.”