Overview
- A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia on August 10, causing more than 200 deaths, thousands of injuries, and a government-declared state of emergency.
- Avianca says it moved more than 150 tonnes of relief in the first two days of the crisis, including a 60-ton flight from Miami to Cali that carried nine tonnes coordinated by the Colombian government and 51 tonnes donated by Global Empowerment Mission on August 14.
- Local reporting shows an additional roughly 40 tonnes of GEM-collected supplies were loaded onto a DHL humanitarian flight in Miami for delivery to affected communities.
- Shipments include electric generators, nonperishable food and hygiene kits, and GEM teams are working with Avianca, the City of Doral and Colombian authorities to receive and distribute supplies in Cali, Pereira, Manizales and Quibdó while rescue crews continue searching for survivors.
- Humanitarian groups say immediate needs are shelter, power and medical aid and longer-term recovery will require sustained logistics and funding, so more airlifts and coordinated distribution are expected in the coming days.