Colombia Begins Recovery Efforts Following a 7.4-Magnitude Earthquake
A week after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia, the country is gradually shifting its focus from searching for people trapped under the rubble to providing survivors with housing, basic necessities, and reconstruction assistance. The disaster claimed at least 289 lives, and another 4,187 people were injured, according to Al Jazeera English.
The earthquake struck on August 10 near the rural town of San José del Palmar in Colombia’s Pacific region. It affected 15 of the country’s 32 departments and caused significant damage to the cities of Pereira, Quibdó, and Cali. According to official data, 127,557 homes were damaged, of which 26,945 were destroyed. In addition, 285 healthcare facilities and 2,838 educational institutions were affected.
Transportation and utility infrastructure was damaged: 407 roads, 92 water supply systems, 44 road bridges, and five airports were affected. Over the past week, rescue workers have saved 354 people. As of Sunday evening, the government reported 143 people missing, while the unofficial online database Colombia Te Busca listed more than 3,000 missing persons.
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Search and rescue operations are already being scaled back in some areas. In particular, near the seven-story Vanessa apartment building in Cali, the search was suspended on Friday, and efforts have shifted to recovering bodies from the rubble, said Enrique Zapata, head of logistics for the medical nonprofit SARES. International rescue teams from Israel, the United States, and Mexico have joined local teams.
Local authorities have set up temporary shelters in sports stadiums and community centers in Cali and Pereira. At the same time, the situation is particularly dire in the department of Chocó, which was the epicenter of the earthquake and had previously suffered from armed conflict, drug trafficking, and illegal gold mining. In Quibdo, 2,723 homes were damaged, 1,337 of which are uninhabitable. Local resident Yilson Marmolejo stated that there has been no institutional response at the national level regarding the construction of temporary or permanent housing.
Colombia’s finance minister estimated the damage from the disaster at at least $6.4 billion. President Abelardo de la Esprieya promised to establish a reconstruction fund and declared a state of economic emergency. According to the publication, he decided to increase borrowing, specifically by utilizing a $450 million credit line from the World Bank. The European Union pledged 2 million euros in aid, and the United States pledged $15.5 million.
