Colombia Faces Daunting Rebuilding Task After Deadly Quake

As rescue teams wind down their search through the rubble, Colombia is confronting the immense challenge of rebuilding communities devastated by Monday's 7.4 magnitude earthquake. The disaster has claimed at least 285 lives, injured nearly 4,000 people, and upended the lives of more than 100,000 citizens, according to government figures.

The quake, the most powerful to hit Colombia this century, damaged or destroyed tens of thousands of homes. Authorities report destruction across more than 400 cities, including thousands of schools, medical facilities, and community centers. The hardest-hit areas include Cali, Pereira, Manizales, and Quibdo.

Ebert Jonathan Morales, 38, is sheltering in Cali with his wife and four children after losing everything. "There is no place to live, we lost everything," he said. "We are going to stay here until the government gives us some help, some support."

Olga Castro, a mother of five, is relying on a neighbor's kindness. "At least we survived, but right now we are practically on the street because we don't have a home anymore," she said.

President Abelardo de la Espriella, inaugurated just days before the quake, acknowledged Thursday that "the situation is complex." He announced a partnership with private companies to rebuild the nation and subsidies for homeless families. "We will not overcome this tragedy alone as a government," he said. "We need the private sector to rebuild Colombia together."

National and international relief funds will prioritize reconstruction of hospitals, schools, homes, roads, and airports. However, Yezid Alvarado Vargas, a construction engineering professor at Javeriana University, stressed that rebuilding requires careful assessment. "Before even discussing reconstruction, we must guarantee temporary housing, food, healthcare, continuity of basic services and economic support for families who lost their homes or livelihoods," he said.

Local authorities have opened schools, parks, and public buildings as shelters, providing tents, mattresses, and food. In less accessible areas, residents have improvised street shelters while volunteers rush to deliver aid.

María Mercedes Liévano, director of Save the Children in Colombia, highlighted the compounded suffering in marginalized regions. "These are isolated, neglected territories, historically lacking in institutional support, already plagued by violence, and now they are hit by an earthquake of this magnitude," she said. "It's a crisis on top of a crisis, leaving the population in a situation of extreme vulnerability."

Government aid has yet to reach some areas. De la Espriella is expected to visit Quibdo and Pereira on Friday to monitor relief efforts. Meanwhile, supplies and humanitarian aid are arriving from Peru, China, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates.