Colombia Earthquake: Project HOPE Responding
Project HOPE has mobilized and is responding to the most urgent needs following the deadly 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck western Colombia on Monday. Already, hundreds of people have been killed and roughly 3,900 are injured. The epicenter of the earthquake was in San José del Palmar and has impacted many towns and neighborhoods in the nearby regions.
Project HOPE started assessing health facilities just hours after the earthquake to identify the most critical needs, including medicines, medical supplies, and clean water. You can view the latest Situation Report here.
On Thursday, the team distributed essential hygiene items such as diapers, toilet paper, sanitary pads, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and cleaning wipes to a shelter and an elderly care facility in Roldanillo, a town and municipality located in the Department of Valle del Cauca.
Roldanillo experienced widespread damage and deep impacts on its health systems and critical infrastructure. 70% of the hospital will need to be demolished and rebuilt. Roughly 60% of communities in the town did not have access to clean water during our assessment, and we identified critical needs at a shelter and an elderly care facility.
“Healthcare access is extremely compromised due to the earthquake damage and health workers are working around the clock with limited supplies,” said Chessa Latifi, Deputy Director of Emergency Response at Project HOPE. “Prior to the earthquake, nearly 7 million people in Colombia were already in need of humanitarian support and this disaster is only exacerbating those gaps.”
Project HOPE continues to assess health conditions and identify the most urgent humanitarian needs so that health workers can keep saving lives, and families can begin to recover from this major disaster.
To speak with experts on the ground in Colombia, or learn more about Project HOPE’s response, email media@projecthope.org. Access photos and videos with descriptions and credits here.
