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Colombia is experiencing a historically challenging moment, having suffered a 7.4-magnitude earthquake — six weeks after its neighbor, Venezuela, experienced two earthquakes of 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude in June.
On the morning of Aug. 10, the earthquake shook the country’s Pacific Coast, with the epicenter in San José del Palmar, a city in the department of Chocó, 150 miles west of Bogotá, where the tremor was also felt. The destruction and collapse of multiple buildings, leaving citizens trapped under the rubble in various areas of the country, including Cauca, Valle del Cauca, Risaralda and Quindío, among others, led the government to declare a national disaster.
According to recent reports by CNN, on Tuesday (Aug. 11), the death toll surpassed 200 people, with 3,000 missing — and the number is expected to continue to rise, as emergency personnel work to clear the rubble and continue their rescue efforts, but have yet to reach the epicenter.
The Colombian Geological Service (CGS), a government agency dedicated to researching subsoil resources, monitoring geological hazards and managing nuclear materials, reports that this is the largest-magnitude seismic event recorded in Colombia in the 21st century. Since the 7.4 quake on Monday, the organization has recorded more than 70 aftershocks in numerous cities across the country.
During the early morning of Aug. 11, several seismic replicas were reported across different regions of the country; although the aftershocks were less powerful than the initial event, their magnitudes were recorded as 3.0, 3.2, 3.6, and 3.8. CGS reports that this effect can last an unprecedented amount of time: “for days, weeks, or even months — because, when a high-magnitude, shallow earthquake occurs, energy continues to be released until the areas surrounding the rupture zone of the main earthquake balance out again.”
Hours after the incident, the U.S. government declared that it would be contributing $15.5 million to relief efforts as the number of fatalities and injuries continues to rise. Various artists, organizations and musicians have spoken out in support of Colombia to raise funds and provide information for people to assist those who are affected by the tragedy.
Here is a list of ways you can help, in alphabetical order.
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All Hands and Hearts
All Hands and Hearts was born in 2017 after two organizations — Happy Hearts Fund and All Hands Volunteers — joined forces to help communities recover after disasters and to assist in rebuilding schools.
“Our team has been on the ground since the day of the earthquake, coordinating with local authorities and partners, assessing needs, and procuring emergency supplies for search-and-rescue teams in Pereira, including tools, PPE, and other needed items. We will continue to assess and meet needs as more information becomes available, with initial activities focused on supporting first responders and displaced households with emergency relief items.”
To donate to All Hands & Hearts’ Colombia earthquake response, click here.
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Americares
Americares began as an effort to deliver medical supplies to Cambodian refugees fleeing the Khmer Rouge in 1979. Its founder Robert Macauley developed it into a global health and disaster relief organization that has responded to natural disasters, humanitarian outbreaks and humanitarian crises by providing medicine, medical supplies, health services and emergency funding in more than 160 countries.
“Americares Colombia team members in Bogotá and Barranquilla immediately mobilized to support the relief efforts, contacting local officials and health care organizations in the hardest-hit communities with offers of assistance,” the organization states on its website. “A team from Americares arrived in Cali, one of the hardest-hit cities, this morning to assess the immediate health needs. Americares stands ready to deliver medicines, medical supplies and emergency funding to support survivors.”
To donate to Americares, click here.
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GlobalGiving
GlobalGiving was founded in 2002 by two ex-World Bank employees. The organization is a nonprofit crowdfunding platform connecting donors to vetted, community-led organizations in over 175 countries. It has been actively supporting disaster relief efforts since 2004.
The organization launched a Colombia Earthquake Relief Fund to provide urgent and long-term support to communities affected by the earthquake: “The GlobalGiving Colombia Earthquake Relief Fund will provide local organizations with flexible, rapid funding to deliver emergency medical care, search and rescue support, temporary shelter, food, clean water, hygiene supplies, and other essential services. It will also help communities begin rebuilding and recovering as they face the long-term impacts of this disaster.”
To donate to GlobalGiving’s Colombia Earthquake Relief Fund, click here.
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International Rescue Committee
The International Rescue Committee was founded upon request from Albert Einstein in 1933, to help people being persecuted after Adolf Hitler took power. The organization currently operates in more than 40 countries and 29 cities in the United States, focusing on people affected by conflict, persecution, natural disasters and other crises management, survival and recovery efforts, for them to rebuild their lives after escaping a difficult situation.
“Local communities were already facing armed conflict and high levels of poverty long before the ground began to shake,” says Nicola Cast, country director for Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador in a statement on the website. “Chocó, at the epicenter of the quake, is the poorest region in the country. We are deeply concerned that today’s natural disaster will make the needs on the ground even steeper as people lose access to health care and other essential services. We remain ready to deploy an emergency response as the scale of need becomes more clear.”
To donate to UNICEF USA, click here.
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The House Project
Founded by Ricardo Montaner’s family nearly 20 years ago, The House Project supports vulnerable communities in Colombia, Venezuela, India, Jordan and the Dominican Republic in provision of food, shelter, medical care and education.
After the earthquake in Colombia, the organization is raising funds to assist families who have been displaced or lost their homes due to the disaster in seeking temporary shelter. “When the earth shakes, we rise together,” the organization says on its website. “Support families by providing shelter to those who need it most.”
To donate to The House Project, click here.
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UNICEF USA
UNICEF focuses on efforts involving children affected by natural disasters and conflicts on a global scale. The organization raises funds in the United States and operates in more than 190 countries and territories with the mission of helping children in need.
“UN teams in Colombia are coordinating with national authorities and the country’s disaster risk management agency to closely monitor the situation and support the national response.”
To donate to UNICEF USA, click here.
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World Central Kitchen
Chef José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen was founded in 2010 following the earthquake in Haiti that devastated the country. Andrés traveled to the island and spent time cooking alongside displaced families, recognizing the importance of working closely with local communities and cooking for them with their needs and traditions in mind. That’s how the mission to provide fresh meals during humanitarian and climate crises affecting communities globally was born.
“WCK teams and local partners are working to serve meals to people in need as quickly as possible,” the organization says.
WCK has deep connections in Colombia. When low-lying areas of the Córdoba department flooded in February, WCK teams worked alongside longtime local partners, including Fundación Gastronomía Social, to serve meals to families forced from their homes. Chef Corps member Harry Sasson also joined the team on the ground to help cook for his community.
To donate to World Central Kitchen, click here.
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