Nubia Córdoba, the governor of Chocó, was one of the first local leaders to request help after the 7.4 magnitude earthquake that shook Colombia last Monday. And the images that the country has begun to see about the tragedy affecting her department explain why the President of the Republic arrived that same afternoon in Quibdó, after leading the Unified Command Post (PMU) set up in Bogotá.
The damage at El Caraño airport, the landslides on several access roads, as well as the disruptions in the telecommunications system, practically isolated that region in the northwest of the country during the first 24 hours after the strong quake, whose epicenter was one of its 31 municipalities: San José del Palmar.
In addition to the subsidies and financial relief established by the National Government for the residents of the affected areas, President Abelardo De La Espriella announced the economic emergency on Tuesday and announced the creation of a Miracle Fund for reconstruction of the part of the country most affected by the earthquake and for economic reactivation: “We will do whatever is necessary, within the framework of the Constitution, to face this crisis and rise again as a country.”
The images and testimonies of residents have begun to reveal the magnitude of the earthquake damage in the Coffee Axis and the Valley, the hardest-hit areas.
The preliminary toll revealed by the president, 72 hours after the earthquake, is 265 dead, 3,494 injured, and 496 missing.
Regarding Chocó, although so far 14 dead and 139 injured have been reported, the number of affected people reaches 43,000. Additionally, there are 3,199 damaged homes, impacts in 29 of its 31 municipalities, 7 semi-destroyed health centers, 38 affected educational institutions, 6 aqueducts with structural problems, one collapsed vehicular bridge, and 5 affected roads.
In videos released by the news program Primer Plano of EL TIEMPO, it became evident that one of the most affected municipalities is El Litoral del San Juan, which borders Valle del Cauca and is located 99 kilometers from the epicenter of the earthquake.
Landslides and isolation
The images show destroyed houses, as well as indigenous reserves with huts and wooden constructions on the ground, confirming that Chocó remains one of the poorest and most vulnerable departments.
Jhon Jairo Gutiérrez, mayor of El Litoral del San Juan, told this newspaper that they need all the support and the greatest number of donations possible for that area: “Some residents were left with nothing because their houses were completely destroyed and under a large cloud of smoke from the debris. The tragedy reached several regions of the country and in Chocó, the situation is also completely devastating.”
He added: “They are humble people. Don’t leave us alone. We sincerely need, and I know good Colombians have it, that they can also look towards Chocó.”
Since Monday, EL TIEMPO interviewed León Fabio Marín Moncada, mayor of San José del Palmar, who said that in his town there are reports of about 442 affected homes and nearly 40 collapsed.
“We know that one of the most affected points is the La Italia corregimiento, which has about 3,000 inhabitants, but we have not been able to fully communicate with the population because we have no phone signal,” he said. In the area, there have been 75 landslides on tertiary roads and 24 on main roads.
The drama in Quibdó and Istmina
In Quibdó, the situation is also bleak. The San Francisco de Asís Departmental Hospital urgently requested support to supply medicines, medical-surgical supplies, and items needed in critical areas. There is talk of a 300 percent over-occupancy of the hospital network.
According to the governor of Chocó, Nubia Córdoba, many families literally sleeping on the streets cannot wait for all the formal State procedures to be completed. Therefore, she asked to open a kind of materials bank to immediately start rebuilding her department. “Today (yesterday) we will formally close the search and rescue phase at the PMU to focus on the response phase aimed at attending to the affected,” said the department’s governor.
In Istmina, the second most populous municipality in Chocó, serious structural damage was also reported. Images and videos show collapsed houses, cracked walls, and destroyed facades. According to information from its mayor’s office, there are 550 affected homes and more than 3,000 affected people. In Sipí, residents are urgently requesting help after several of their homes collapsed.
The first air ambulances began landing yesterday and the Ombudswoman, Irís Marín, also arrived in Quibdó and toured the most affected areas to verify the conditions of the affected families and the number of damaged homes.
Some private companies and doctors who have moved to Alto Baudó to assist its residents say they have had to be escorted by trucks due to the presence of armed groups.
INVESTIGATIVE UNIT
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