Colombia and the earthquake

Hello,

As some of you know, I live in Colombia, and on August 10th there was a 7.4 magnitude earthquake that affected cities like Cali, Pereira, Quibdó, Manizales, and Armenia. To date, authorities have reported 285 deaths and more than 3,970 injuries. My human brain can't quite grasp the magnitude of what happened. It's very sad to know how many people have been affected in various ways by the earthquake.

I live far from the epicenter of the earthquake, but it was so strong that it was felt in distant cities like Bogotá and Medellín, and even in my city. In fact, I was sleeping, it was 7:00 or 7:30 a.m., if I'm not mistaken (we had the mattress on the floor because we had just moved and didn't have a bed made up yet), and I started hearing the closet doors moving, and then the windows. I live in an area of ​​the country where earthquakes are frequent, so I was waiting for things to stop moving. However, the noise increased and the floor was shaking... so I panicked, grabbed my blanket, and went to find my boyfriend (who is the most stoic person I know)...

I hugged my boyfriend, and the apartment started to sway (we live in an apartment on the sixth floor, so they don't recommend running outside, the place where they find the most dead or injured people is on the stairs because they have the least resistance and collapse easily). Honestly, there came a point where I wanted to run away because the shaking wouldn't stop and neighbors were yelling... but my boyfriend told me it wasn't a good idea... Besides, I thought about my cats... I didn't want to leave them alone or have them run away...

When it finally ended, I told my boyfriend that the tremor had been too strong and had taken too long to stop... he tried to calm me down, telling me it was over, that the building was earthquake-resistant, and that it wasn't a good idea to be on the stairs right now. A few minutes passed, and some of his friends started calling him to ask if he was okay. He joined his Discord server, where several of his friends are, and he started to find out that his brother, who lives in Bogotá, had been evacuated from his building. And that several of his friends had also had to evacuate their respective buildings.

                                                             

More than three weeks ago, I stopped using social media, which wasted so much time (no Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok), so my only contact with news is through YouTube. When I turned on the TV, the reality hit us: it was serious. The Pacific region was enormously affected by the earthquake. Many buildings had collapsed, others were riddled with cracks, and people were missing, injured, or dead.

The region of the epicenter (San José del Palmar in Chocó) has historically been one of the poorest regions in the country and one of the most biodiverse. State investment in this part of the country is low, meaning there is no investment in education, infrastructure, or projects that would improve the quality of life for the population. Without ignoring the fact that in Colombia, there is no emergency plan for a natural disaster like an earthquake... So, the situation reminds us once again of the inequality that is much more evident in certain regions of the country.

Not content with this, other news began circulating among the population regarding the new president of Colombia: Abelardo did not ask for help from international organizations in the face of such a catastrophe. The president did not request help or follow the proper procedures so that international organizations with expertise in these types of situations could help rescue the injured. Why? No idea... only he and his government team considered that a good decision...

A few days later, the same man was seen going to the affected areas and handing out soccer balls, the same ones he used to campaign with during elections... soccer balls!! To people who are homeless, or whose homes were seriously damaged, to injured people, or those who don't have enough money for food... Balls...

                                   

But for those who believe that the Minister of Housing should be leading the response to this disaster, rather than the President... relax... the Minister of Housing is off on vacation at the beach while some Colombians are going through the worst hours of their lives.

                                      

The final straw: opening your bank's app and realizing they've created an account for donations... A BANK?! I don't understand why these kinds of institutions aren't able to reach into their own pockets and take out a good amount of money FOR THE VERY PEOPLE WHO KEEP THEM IN POWER AND MONEY... Anyway...

I'd like to know that the people going through this tragedy are receiving help from the government, but after news like this, I honestly don't know what to expect. Lately, the feeling that there's no justice in this country and that everyone survives however they can has become more entrenched. Once again, we're experiencing a divided Colombia.