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Aid Pours in as Ecuador Declares Week of Mourning

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Ecuador has declared eight days of national mourning as the death toll from this month's earthquake continues to rise. The news comes as more than a hundred are still missing and the country is being hit with aftershocks.

Meanwhile, CBN Disaster Relief teams are pushing deeper into remote areas where aid has been slow to arrive.

In one community in Ecuador, far from any large city, relief efforts have been hampered by badly damaged roads and runways. This is where CBN News met Esmirna, a pastor's wife who opened their home to earthquake victims who lost everything.

"My soul was in tears after I saw the situation of the people here," Esmirna told CBN News. "We're too scared to sleep inside, but there are four families staying with us, and we help anyone who needs it."

Many people are still in need of food, water and a safe place to sleep. Disease-carrying mosquitoes are adding to the misery. But clean water is still at the top of most people's needs after a week of suffering.

"There were some people begging in the streets. They had signs saying, 'Give us water please!'" Esmirna recalled.

Logistical problems have made it difficult to get water to people in Esmirna's town. Many donations are simply sitting on runways with no way to get them to people in need.

"I was getting so worried that we'd run out of water," she said. "Some people have been drinking dirty water they find in the streets. We can live without power, but we need water to live."

That's when CBN Disaster Relief stepped in.

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The first help came from two pilots and a small bush plane CBN brought from America that brought water purification units to Esmirna's community. A backpack-sized device can purify filthy, bacteria-filled water and make it safe to drink.

"When I heard you were coming, I was so happy, and then I heard you had a water purifier and I couldn't believe it," Esmirna exclaimed.

CBN's Disaster Relief team taught Esmirna and a few others how to set up and operate the water purifier. One unit will provide more than enough water for the refugees living in their home. But even more amazing is that one unit will filter enough water for everyone in the community to have clean water to drink -- up to 600 gallons a day! And the unit will keep providing fresh water for years to come.

"We'll be able to give free water to anyone who needs it so this will be an amazing ministry tool for us to reach the community," Esmirna said.

"If I could say something to the people who donated this machine, first I would hug and kiss them. Then I would say 'thank you so much! This is such a blessing for us. Thank you," she said.

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