Colombia grapples with rebuilding a shattered nation after a deadly earthquake

Californian volunteer Olga Castro finds shelter from the catastrophe in Colombia.

As the search for survivors in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake winds down, Colombia confronts the daunting task of rebuilding a nation ripped apart by a disaster that claimed the lives of at least 285 people and affected over 100,000. The 7.4 magnitude quake struck the South American country earlier this month, causing extensive damage to tens of thousands of homes, schools, medical facilities, and community centers in more than 400 cities.

Ebert Jonathan Morales, a 38-year-old resident of Cali, one of the hardest-hit cities, expressed the despair of many when he said, "There is no place to live, we lost everything." He is among the 102,263 individuals whose lives were upended by the quake. The government reported 280 deaths, 4,000 injuries, and numerous missing persons, although private groups estimate the latter figure to be in the thousands.

President Abelardo de la Espriella, inaugurated just days before the earthquake, acknowledged the complexity of the situation and announced plans to collaborate with private companies to rebuild the nation. He also pledged subsidies for families left homeless. "We will not overcome this tragedy alone as a government," he stated. "We need the private sector to rebuild Colombia together."

While national and international funds flow in response to the disaster, many affected areas still lack aid. Residents are relying on aid from volunteers and neighbors for survival. Olga Castro, a mother of five, found temporary shelter from a neighbor. "At least we survived, but right now we are practically on the street because we don’t have a home anymore."

Experts warn that rebuilding the country requires a meticulous technical assessment to determine which buildings can be used, repaired, or demolished. Temporary housing, food, healthcare, and economic support for affected families are critical priorities, according to Yezid Alvarado Vargas, a professor in construction engineering at Javeriana University in Bogota.

Local authorities opened schools, parks, and public buildings to provide shelter, food, and mattresses to the displaced. However, improvised shelters on the streets are common in less accessible areas, where hundreds of volunteers work tirelessly to assist those in greatest need. The earthquake, the most powerful to hit Colombia in the current century, has left communities like Buenaventura, the country's main port, and Chocó, the epicenter, in a state of extreme vulnerability.