Alert

Colombia - No. 22/2008

Geneva, 29 May 2008

Earthquake in Central-Eastern Colombia

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.

Any funding indication or pledge should be communicated to Jessie Kgoroeadira, ACT Finance Officer (jkg@act-intl.org).

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ACT is a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergencies worldwide. The ACT Coordinating Office is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Switzerland.