A few weeks ago, I sent a message to a foreign friend when I heard a earthquake happened in her country. But the message didn't send successfully.
Today she contacted me, I gave her a message like this
Actually I sent you a message to ask if you are alright when I heard the earthquake news ...
Is it right to use "are " in my above sentence?
I chose the present tense because I wanted her to know I sent her message immediately when I heard the earthquake news, if I use "were", does it sound like I gave her the message a few days after the earthquake?