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 western 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, medicine, 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 reasoning behind their response: "Usually in these types of disasters, the first response consists of supplies such as water, some rescue operations, first aid, and medicine." In a second phase, the coverage expands to more general needs.
The organization emphasized that supplies are arriving from various parts of the country. "We receive trucks here daily from Wisconsin and other places in the United States. It’s simply the direct route to reach disaster sites," stated a representative of GEM.
The call to the community was straightforward: "Any little bag of donations, no matter how small, is welcome for those who have practically lost everything at this moment."
The operation for Colombia adds to the one that GEM currently has active for Venezuela, where just weeks ago over 50 tons of humanitarian assistance were sent following the earthquakes in June. “From Venezuela, where we are still in the full production process, Colombia is now joining us,” acknowledged the organization's team.
The earthquake, with its epicenter in San José del Palmar in the Chocó department, occurred at 7:34 in the morning and was felt in Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Pereira, Barranquilla, and even in Ecuador and Panama. The Colombian Geological Service recorded a depth of approximately 103 km.
The official mid-day report indicated 111 dead and 87 injured, as confirmed by President Abelardo De La Espriella. "At 12:30 today, we had 111 fatalities, 87 injured, 1,575 damaged homes, 37 completely destroyed homes, and 61 collapsed buildings," announced the president, who warned that the numbers could continue to rise.
Pereira was the city most affected: its mayor, Mauricio Salazar, reported at least 18 dead and dozens of collapsed structures. The earthquake also left 18 health centers damaged, 52 educational centers affected and six airports with suspended flights, including those in Pereira, Quibdó, Manizales, and Buenaventura.
De La Espriella declared a national disaster and entrusted 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 disaster 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 balance in the initial hours has already begun to confirm.
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