Quibdo, the capital of the department of Choco, was among the cities most affected by the 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck Colombia on Monday, with several buildings and homes collapsing.
Drone footage recorded on Friday shows various properties that collapsed in the neighbourhoods of San Martin, Ninos Jesus, Medrano, El Futuro II, La Victoria and Obrero as a result of the quake, with streets covered in rubble.
Given the shortage of structural engineers to assess damage to homes with partial or total collapse, the authorities will seek to increase the number of professionals available to assist all affected residents.
The authorities have concluded the search-and-rescue phase in Choco, one of the departments with the highest levels of poverty in Colombia. Efforts now focus on debris removal and reconstruction.
In parallel, the national government announced the dispatch of large-capacity tents for shelters, in addition to 18 tonnes of food already delivered to the department with support from the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD).
The next phase will include rent subsidies for those who cannot return to their homes and technical inspection of the affected infrastructure.
President Abelardo De la Espriella travelled to Quibdo on Friday, accompanied by Vice President Jose Manuel Restrepo, Interior Minister Rodrigo Lara and Governor Nubia Cordoba, to announce a special reconstruction plan for Choco.
At the departmental level, Choco records 13 deaths and 186 injuries, according to official data, making it the third department with the most deaths nationwide, after Valle del Cauca and Risaralda.
According to the UNGRD’s Friday update, the quake has left 287 people dead, 3,975 injured, 378 missing and 354 rescued nationwide. A total of 79,108 homes damaged, 13,077 destroyed and 121 buildings collapsed have also been reported.
Source: Viory
