At age 9, he lived through the 1985 Mexico City earthquake that killed more than 5,000 people. So when Sacramento firefighter Roberto Padilla saw the devastating temblor hit earlier this month, “I knew what was coming.”
Within 48 hours, he was on the ground in Mexico City helping with rescue and recovery efforts.
“This is my homeland,” Padilla said. “I needed to go help.”
His journey into the heart of the devastation in Mexico, where at least 337 people died from the 7.1-magnitude quake on Sept. 19, began with a personal scare. Three family members were missing. They were eventually found safe, but Padilla filled a backpack with minimal supplies and was on the ground the next day.