This past August 10th, at 7:34 am local time, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Colombia. The epicenter was in San José del Palmar, a small municipality in the Chocó department along the Pacific Coast, but the quake was felt across the country—as far as Bogotá, Cali, and Medellín. The Colombian Geological Service has since recorded 183 aftershocks, including 15 events above magnitude 3.
As someone born and raised in Colombia, this hit devastatingly close to home. While I’m now based in New York, I still have friends and family throughout the country. Watching videos of my friends’ and family’s houses crumbling and seeing neighbors desperately digging through rubble for missing loved ones has been gut-wrenching. The home I grew up in, the streets I walked as a child, all of it broken. Being so far away, the helplessness is overwhelming, but it’s also pushed me to look for ways to help from a distance.
The scale of this disaster is staggering. As of August 19, the earthquake has affected 15 departments and 472 municipalities —roughly one-third of the country’s territory. More than 262,000 people have been impacted. The death toll has risen to at least 314, with over 4,400 injured and more than 260 still missing. Search and rescue teams and the community have managed to save 364 people, but the work is far from over.
The physical destruction is almost incomprehensible. Approximately 30,000 have been destroyed, and another 135,000 have sustained structural damage, one of them being mine. Approximately 200 buildings collapsed. Over 3,000 schools and 303 health facilities have been affected, leaving countless students unable to return to class. Roads, bridges, and aqueduct systems have been damaged across the country —449 roads, 105 aqueducts, and 58 bridges— slowing rescue efforts and cutting off entire communities from basic services.
The National Government declared a national disaster situation through Presidential Decree No. 1171 of 2026. The National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) has been leading the official response, coordinating with the National Disaster Risk Management System (SNGRD) and territorial authorities. Preliminary estimates put economic losses at nearly 30 billion Colombian pesos— about 9,8 million USD.
The earthquake didn’t just strike buildings; it struck communities already facing deep vulnerabilities. Before the disaster, nearly 7 million Colombians were already experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity. In the hardest-hit regions like Chocó and Valle del Cauca, nearly one-third of the population was already food insecure before the ground shook. Now, those same communities are grappling with displacement, destroyed livelihoods, and limited access to clean water, healthcare, and shelter.
But this is where Colombia’s true spirit shines.
In the midst of devastation, communities have come together in extraordinary ways. Neighbors are digging through debris with their bare hands to rescue each other. Families who lost everything are opening their doors to strangers who lost even more. Local restaurants are cooking free meals for rescue workers. Truck drivers are rerouting their trips to deliver supplies to cut-off villages because Colombia resists. That’s what we do.
Humanitarian organizations have also mobilized quickly. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is supporting coordination across affected departments. The World Food Programme (WFP) is scaling up emergency operations to provide food assistance. UNHCR deployed teams within hours of the earthquake, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) sent support to Chocó to register disaster victims. The UN has allocated $5 million from its Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), and the Humanitarian Country Team has activated clusters for Health, Shelter, WASH, Food Security, Protection, and Education.
But these efforts need our support.
Colombia’s communities are doing everything they can, but they can’t do it alone. The need is immense, and every bit of help matters. Here’s how you can make a difference:
Donate to organizations like Caring for Colombia, Cruz Roja Colombiana, Banco de Alimentos de Bogotá, Asociación de Bancos de Alimentos de Colombia (Abaco), Presentes Corporación Proantioquia, SOS Chocó # JuntosPorElChocó and Fundación Herencia de Timbiquí.
Share information about the crisis to keep awareness alive—especially as the initial news cycle fades.
Check in on Colombian friends, colleagues, and neighbors. Sometimes the simplest act of care makes all the difference.
Colombia is a country of incredible resilience. I’ve seen it my whole life. I’ve seen it now, in the way my people have responded—with open arms, full hearts, and an unbreakable will to rebuild. But resilience doesn’t mean going it alone. Right now, our friends and family need us—whether we’re in Cali, New York, or anywhere in between. Being far away doesn’t mean we can’t make a difference. It just means we have to find new ways to show up.
Colombia Resiste.
Sources:
- https://reliefweb.int/report/colombia/colombia-addendum-humanitarian-response-plan-earthquake-august-2026
- https://www.unocha.org/publications/report/colombia/colombia-flash-update-006-update-impact-earthquake-colombia-august-14-2026
- https://spanish.people.com.cn/n3/2026/0819/c31617-20490007.html
- https://www.elnacional.com/2026/08/asciende-a-314-el-numero-de-muertos-por-el-terremoto-en-colombia/
- https://reliefweb.int/report/colombia/iom-colombia-earthquake-response-situation-report-3-17-august-2026
- https://www.wfp.org/news/wfp-scales-emergency-food-support-colombian-earthquake-survivors
