The humanitarian organization Global Empowerment Mission (GEM), based in Doral, activated an emergency operation on Monday to collect and send aid to the victims of the 7.4 magnitude earthquake that devastated the northwest of Colombia, the strongest recorded in the country in the last decade.
From its warehouse in Doral, GEM receives monetary and in-kind donations —non-perishable food, water, medicines, hygiene kits, and clothing— while dozens of volunteers pack the supplies for shipment to the affected areas. The organization has already deployed teams on the ground in Colombia to assess needs and coordinate assistance.
The leading team from GEM explained to Noticias Telemundo the rationale behind the response: “Typically, in this type of disaster, the initial team brings supplies of water, some rescue equipment, first aid, and medicine.” In a second phase, the coverage expands to broader needs.
The organization emphasized that supplies arrive from various points across the country. “We receive trucks here daily from Wisconsin and from many other parts of the United States. It’s simply the direct way to access disaster sites,” stated a representative of GEM.
The call to the community was straightforward: "Any little bag of donations, no matter how small, is welcomed for those who have practically lost everything at this time."
The operation for Colombia joins the one that GEM is currently running for Venezuela, where just weeks ago over 50 tons of humanitarian aid were sent following the earthquakes in June. "From Venezuela, where we are still in the midst of production, Colombia is now joining us," acknowledged the organization's team.
The earthquake, centered in San José del Palmar in the Chocó department, occurred at 7:34 AM this Monday and was felt in Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Pereira, Barranquilla, as well as in Ecuador and Panama. The Colombian Geological Service recorded a depth of approximately 103 km.
The official balance at noon reported 111 dead and 87 injured, as confirmed by President Abelardo De La Espriella. "At 12:30 today, we had 111 fatalities, 87 injuries, 1,575 damaged homes, 37 completely destroyed homes, and 61 collapsed buildings," stated the president, who warned that numbers could continue to rise.
Pereira was the most affected city: its mayor, Mauricio Salazar, reported at least 18 deaths and dozens of collapsed structures. The earthquake also left 18 damaged health centers, 52 affected educational institutions, and six airports with suspended flights, including those in Pereira, Quibdó, Manizales, and Buenaventura.
De La Espriella declared a national disaster and tasked the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management with coordinating the humanitarian response, also announcing his relocation to Pereira. The earthquake struck just three days after he assumed the presidency on August 7 in Cali, making this catastrophe the first major crisis of his administration.
The United States Geological Survey issued an orange alert estimating a likely scenario of between 100 and 1,000 deaths, a projection that the official count in the first hours has already begun to confirm.
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