Colombia earthquake: 282,000 affected, IOM launches $30 million appeal
IOM reports 282,000 people affected by Colombia's 7.4 quake, launches $30M appeal; 163,000 homes damaged.
Ten days after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Colombia, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) says the full scale of the disaster is still emerging, with preliminary government data putting the number of affected people at 282,000.
Speaking virtually from Colombia on Thursday, Jean Philippe Antolin, IOM’s Humanitarian Response and Recovery Specialist for Latin America and the Caribbean, told reporters that nearly 163,000 homes have been damaged and are now undergoing structural evaluations. The quake, which killed 314 people, has also disrupted schools, hospitals, and public spaces across the affected region.
To support the government-led response, IOM launched a $30 million flash appeal on Thursday to fund its operations over the next six months. Antolin said the appeal aims to cover both immediate life-saving assistance and a gradual transition to longer-term recovery, including shelter, management of accommodation sites, clean water and sanitation, healthcare, protection for vulnerable groups, and community rebuilding efforts.
He also warned that recent heavy rains in Colombia’s Pacific region — including in Pereira, Buenaventura, and Quibdó — have worsened conditions for many quake-affected families. The rains have increased shelter, water, sanitation, and protection needs, particularly for people staying in open spaces, community centres, sports fields, schools, public buildings, and churches. The wet conditions are also raising the risk of vector-borne diseases such as dengue, which spreads more easily in crowded shelters.
Antolin stressed that with many communities still unreachable or only visited once, urgent needs remain widespread — from shelter and food to health care. He also highlighted the critical need for information, noting that many people are sleeping outside for fear of collapsing roofs, even though some homes may look intact from the outside. Structural assessments are essential to tell residents whether it is safe to return, he said.