Colombia is beginning the difficult task of rebuilding after a powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake devastated communities across the western part of the country. At least 285 people have died, nearly 4,000 have been injured and more than 100,000 people have been affected. As rescue operations begin to wind down, thousands of families are confronting a new reality: damaged homes, disrupted services and an uncertain path toward recovery.
Families Face Life Without Their Homes
The scale of destruction stretches far beyond the buildings that completely collapsed. Tens of thousands of homes have been damaged or destroyed, while thousands of schools, medical facilities and community centers have also been affected across more than 400 cities.
Cali, Pereira, Manizales and Quibdo are among the hardest-hit cities. In Cali, families who once had homes are now staying in temporary shelters or relying on relatives, friends and neighbors.
“There is no place to live, we lost everything,” Ebert Jonathan Morales, 38, told The Associated Press from a shelter in Cali.
Morales is among the 102,263 people whose lives have been disrupted by the earthquake. He is now trying to start over with his wife and four children.
Other families face similar circumstances. Olga Castro, a mother of five, told the AP that a neighbor had taken her family in after they lost their home. For many survivors, finding a safe place to sleep has become one of the most immediate challenges.
A New Government Confronts a National Disaster
The earthquake has become an immediate test for President Abelardo de la Espriella, who was inaugurated only days before the disaster struck western Colombia.
The president acknowledged that “the situation is complex” as his administration works to coordinate emergency relief and begin planning the country’s reconstruction. The government has announced plans to provide subsidies to families who lost their homes and to work with private companies on rebuilding damaged communities.
De la Espriella has also emphasized that the government cannot handle the enormous reconstruction effort by itself. National and international funding is expected to support the rebuilding of homes, hospitals, schools, roads and airports.
The earthquake was the most powerful to strike Colombia this century, leaving the new administration with a recovery effort likely to continue long after the immediate emergency has ended.
Rebuilding Will Require More Than New Buildings
Restoring damaged structures is only one part of Colombia’s recovery.
Engineers will first need to determine which buildings remain safe, which can be repaired and which must be completely demolished. Yezid Alvarado Vargas, a construction engineering professor at Javeriana University in Bogotá, said the country needs a “serious technical assessment” before major reconstruction can move forward.
At the same time, displaced families need immediate support. Temporary housing, food, medical care, basic services and financial assistance will remain essential while communities wait for permanent solutions.
The challenge is especially difficult because the damage is spread across such a large area. Government assistance has still not reached some communities, forcing residents to depend on volunteers and neighbors while they wait for organized relief.
Remote Communities Face an Even Deeper Crisis
Some of the greatest concerns are in communities that were struggling long before the earthquake.
Chocó, where the earthquake’s epicenter was located, has historically faced poverty, violence, weak infrastructure and limited government services. Its geography also makes many communities difficult to reach, complicating efforts to deliver food, shelter and medical assistance.
María Mercedes Liévano, director of Save the Children in Colombia, described the situation as “a crisis on top of a crisis.”
Buenaventura and communities throughout Chocó are among the areas of greatest concern. The earthquake has added widespread destruction and displacement to problems that residents were already facing, leaving some families particularly vulnerable as the recovery begins.
Aid Arrives as Colombia Shifts Toward Recovery
Local governments have opened schools, parks and public buildings to people who can no longer safely return home. Tents, mattresses and food are being distributed, while other families have created makeshift shelters in streets and public spaces.
Hundreds of volunteers are also working alongside authorities to reach people in need, particularly in areas where official assistance has been slower to arrive.
International assistance is continuing to arrive. Peru, China, the United States and the United Arab Emirates are among the countries that have pledged humanitarian support. The Colombian government plans to direct domestic and international resources toward both immediate relief and the reconstruction of essential infrastructure.
President de la Espriella is also visiting affected cities to review relief operations and the distribution of aid as the country’s focus gradually moves from rescue toward recovery.
Colombia Begins a Long Road Back
The end of the most urgent search and rescue period does not mean Colombia’s earthquake crisis is over. For more than 100,000 affected people, recovery may take months or years. Homes must be rebuilt, schools and hospitals repaired, roads restored and families given the support they need to begin their lives again. The international aid now arriving may ease some of the immediate pressure, but Colombia’s larger challenge will be turning emergency assistance into a lasting recovery for communities across the country.
