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Download ReportProject HOPE’s Emergency Response Team is on the ground in the Valle del Cauca and Risaralda departments of Colombia, rapidly assessing needs after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck 150 miles west of Bogotá and caused widespread damage, landslides, and impacted critical infrastructure across a large geographic area.
Situational Context
There have been over 29 aftershocks since a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck near San Jose del Palmar, Colombia, and caused extensive damage across a wide geographic area that includes rural, urban, hard-to-reach, and low-income communities hundreds of miles from the epicenter. More than 357 municipalities across western Colombia have been impacted, with the full extent of the damage unknown due to internet connectivity issues.
The earthquake has damaged or destroyed more than 9,400 homes, killed at least 254 people, and injured at least 2,595 more — thousands of people are likely missing, and these numbers are expected to increase in the coming days and weeks.
Across the impacted region, 84 health facilities sustained damage and many have been forced to reduce or suspend services. In El Águila, San Rafael Hospital suffered near-complete destruction and, in Cali, Hospital Universitario del Valle Evaristo García suffered damage that forced it to move patients outside and reduce services, despite being one of the department’s primary tertiary hospitals. Public officials have declared a “red alert” for hospitals in Cali as facilities are fully at capacity due to both the damage caused by the disaster and the subsequent surge of patient needs. Departments have established shelters across the region as impacted individuals attempt to avoid residing in damaged buildings. Shelters have noted the need for increased support for hygiene supplies and larger provisions of potable water. Damage to municipal water systems has left some communities without running water until assessments and repairs can be completed. Information remains limited on health, water, and medical needs in more rural areas — especially in Chocó Department — due to limited road access and connectivity issues.