On May 24, 2008, a 5.5
magnitude earthquake hit the central-eastern region of Colombia.
The epicenter was located in the municipality of El Calvario, department
of Meta (55 km south-east of Bogota).
According to the UN Office
for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the earthquake
affected 9,000 people, with 65 people injured and 14 deaths. Several
hundred of houses were damaged and 40 buildings collapsed close
to the epicenter.
The quake occurred at
a shallow depth of 3.5 km and its effects and aftershocks were strongly
felt in some areas. Besides El Calvario, the most affected municipalities
are Quetame, Puente Quetame and Guayabetal in the department of
Cundinamarca.
Support is being coordinated
by the regional committee of the Direccion de Prevencion y Atencion
de Emergencia (DPAE), with distribution of food and non-food items
including blankets and hygiene kits in the communities of Quetame
and Guayabetal. The Colombian Red Cross and the Ministry of Social
Protection provided assistance to injured persons. The Government
of Cundinamarca has been providing shelter to the affected families
in El Calvario.
Some affected homes will
have to be rebuilt completely, while others will need repair before
families can move back in. The recent strong rain and cold weather
make the situation of affected families particularly difficult as
many remain in improvised tent and plastic shelters.
Roads are badly affected
and some have been closed to traffic due to multiple cave-ins and
fallen rocks, including the Bogota - Villavicenci highway. As a
result, aid has to be transported to some of the rural areas by
helicopter. The National Road Institute (INVIAS) is coordinating
the rehabilitation of the local roads.
ACT member, Lutheran
Evangelical Church of Colombia (IELCO), is planning to respond to
this emergency by supporting close to 100 families with food and
shelter. IELCO staff are currently traveling in the affected area
and coordinating with the Civil Defense and the Colombian Red Cross
to gather assessment information and plan their intervention. Depending
on the outcome of this needs assessment, IELCO will likely request
funds from the ACT Rapid Response Fund.
Other ACT members present
in Colombia are not currently planning to respond to this emergency,
as they do not have a presence in the earthquake-affected area.
ACT members are currently monitoring the heavy rain and potential
flooding situation and if a response is planned another ACT alert
will be issued.
