Colombia Shifts Focus to Recovery and Relief One Week After Devastating Earthquake

Bogota, Colombia – One week after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake rocked western Colombia, rescue efforts continue despite the razor-thin chances of survival. The disaster response, however, is entering a new phase as rescue teams wind down operations and aid organisations begin focusing on housing those made homeless by the earthquake and providing basic necessities.

While official data reveals vast destruction of homes, schools, hospitals, and businesses, the full scale of the devastation continues to be assessed. Fifteen of Colombia’s 32 provinces were affected by the earthquake, which killed at least 289 people and injured 4,187. The earthquake struck San Jose del Palmar, a rural town in Colombia’s Pacific region, and devastated swaths of nearby cities like Pereira, Quibdo, and Cali. In total, 127,557 homes were damaged, and 26,945 were destroyed. The disaster also devastated other institutions, including 285 health centres and 2,838 educational facilities. Economic infrastructure sustained significant damage, with 407 roads, 92 water supply systems, 44 vehicular bridges, and five airports affected.

In the past week, emergency response teams have carried out an unrelenting rescue effort that has saved 354 lives. As of Sunday night, 143 people remain unaccounted for, according to government figures, though an unofficial online database called Colombia Te Busca puts the number of missing at more than 3,000.

“It has been a gruelling week, with little time to rest, as we’ve been focused on searching for, locating, and rescuing potential victims,” said Sergeant Joel Bustamente, who is leading the Bogota Fire Department’s deployment in Cali. He added that the chances of finding life under the rubble have dropped significantly, and response teams’ priorities are shifting towards a medium-term emergency.

In some places, such as the seven-storey Vanessa Building in Cali, efforts to find survivors have been paused altogether. “Search and rescue operations have been suspended since Friday. They are now in the phase of recovering bodies,” said Enrique Zapata, head of logistics at Cali-based health NGO SARES, who has been helping with the emergency response at the Vanessa Building.

While the chances of finding life under the rubble drop sharply after the first 72 hours following an earthquake, others still hope. “We never lose hope,” said Maximiliano Herrera, a volunteer rescuer in Cali, who added that local rescue efforts have been boosted by international teams from countries like Israel, the United States, and Mexico.

With more than 120,000 families affected by the earthquake, authorities are under pressure to shelter the homeless. “In terms of long-term continuity or a medium-term response, the priority right now is clearly shelter and refuge,” said Egido Sanz, country director for Colombia at ActionAid. In cities like Cali and Pereira, local authorities have converted spaces such as sports stadiums and community centres into temporary shelters.

Veronica Echeverry, who oversees a shelter at a community hall in Cali, said that they have received help from citizens, hospitals, and local authorities. The refuge doubles as an aid collection point, receiving and distributing donations of food, water, hygiene supplies, and clothes.

While demand for shelter is limited in major cities like Cali and Pereira, Echeverry said other areas desperately need assistance. In places like Choco – Colombia’s poorest department – the earthquake has hit especially hard due to existing challenges. Choco was not only the epicentre of the earthquake; it is also a hotbed for armed conflict, drug trafficking, and illegal gold mining. Cities like Quibdo, the provincial capital, are a hub for people displaced by violence. In the city of roughly 130,000 people, some 2,723 homes were damaged, 1,337 of which are now uninhabitable. Residents say the government has been slow to act.

The earthquake has also unleashed vast economic destruction in Colombia. Sixty-five-year-old Nestor Martinez has owned a bicycle shop in Buenaventura for 25 years. But the earthquake ravaged his store, wrecking its awning, toppling walls, and crushing merchandise. Martinez estimates that the cost of the disaster for him is approximately 350 million pesos ($111,000) and does not have business insurance.

Donations have poured in from around the world, including a 2 million euro ($2.3m) pledge from the European Union and $15.5m from the US. President Abelardo de la Espriella, meanwhile, has pledged a reconstruction fund to repair the damage, which his finance minister estimated to be at least $6.4bn. The president also declared an economic emergency, granting him powers to raise funds through new taxes, but the right-wing statesman has instead opted to increase borrowing, primarily through a $450m credit line from the World Bank.

Although the country is beginning to turn to the long-term consequences of the disaster, emergency responders continue the arduous labour of digging throughカム the rubble. “The search for survivors continues; there’s always the possibility of miracles,” said Sergeant Bustamente.