- Damini Rathi
A photostory of Chamanga's recovery
Disaster. Shock. Aid recovery. Adaptation. Gradual self-building. Resilience.
On April 16, 2016, an earthquake of magnitude 7.8 hit the coast of Ecuador, devastating a small fishing village, San José de Chamanga along the Costanero coast. With 90 per cent of the homes damaged and the public infrastructure destroyed, some of the community members chose to self-build.
This photo-story presents a post-disaster montage of the inherent human nature to adapt and seek solace in community life present in the urban realm.
Photo taken by Damini Rathi in February 2018.





The post-disaster economy is recovering slowly as the earthquake destroyed majority of the shrimp farms along the coast. The residents of Chamanga have opened small grocery stores, welding and tailoring shops to supplement their insufficient income from shrimp farming.














