By Atma Tattva Das,
ISKCON devotees and Food for Life volunteers in Cali have redirected their established meal-distribution network toward rescue workers and vulnerable residents in the wake of the magnitude-7.4 earthquake that struck western Colombia on August 10. As search-and-rescue operations continued into a second and third day, the response from this small religious community shows how existing local infrastructure can pivot quickly during a major civic emergency.
As of Tuesday morning, separate reports from affected cities put the national death toll at 254, including 95 people in Cali and 101 in Pereira, according to Reuters. More than 1,200 people were reported injured, more than 3,700 remained missing, and an estimated 5,000 homes were damaged or destroyed nationwide, according to the UN humanitarian office OCHA. Damaged hospitals, schools, roads, and utilities complicated relief efforts, and the Colombian Geological Service recorded more than 70 aftershocks in the days following the main quake. Communications remained limited in parts of Chocó, near the epicenter, leaving the full extent of the disaster still uncertain.
The U.S. Geological Survey measured the earthquake at magnitude 7.4 and a depth of 107 kilometers, centered near San José del Palmar in Chocó. The Colombian Geological Service called it the country’s strongest earthquake of the 21st century. The national government declared a state of emergency, and firefighters, Colombian Civil Defense personnel, Red Cross teams, and civilian volunteers searched collapsed buildings across Cali, Pereira, Quibdó, and Manizales.
Read more: https://iskconnews.org/cali-devotees-redirect-food-for-life-service-after-deadly-earthquake/
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