Diana Hurtado, a Massachusetts resident originally from central Colombia, has been in touch with family and friends since the 7.4-magnitude earthquake on Monday.
“My best friend was at her work and it was very scary for her because she saw how the buildings were falling. She saw how a wall was falling over an old man, and everyone was screaming,” Hurtado told GBH News. “So for her, the experience was very traumatizing. But like what I hear from most of them is that they thought it was like the end of the world.”
Other local Colombians say that have heard from relatives and friends about the devastation in the country’s western Chocó province. Fundraising efforts have also been launched by multiple Colombian businesses locally.
The devastating earthquake killed at least 200 people, with rescue efforts still underway.
Hurtado’s cousins were evacuated from their apartment building where walls had collapsed, and other relatives in Pereira had to leave their homes. A family friend in Cali who was 18 died when a building he was in collapsed. Another family member broke their ankle during the earthquake, but safely evacuated.
Laura Betancourt of Rhode Island, who is originally from Colombia, said she had trouble connecting with her mother during the first hours after the earthquake. Her brother reached out later and said their home was fine, but there was a lot of destruction in surrounding area, and temporarily didn’t have water or electricity.
Other friends were on higher floors in apartment buildings. “Several of them are not able to go back to their houses or their apartments because the structures were very compromised, but gladly they have other family members they could stay at,” said Betancourt.
She’s been sending funds to friends to buy supplies but also to help remove debris and provide food to volunteers helping with the recovery effort.
Fundraising efforts have already begun. Los Primos Barbershop in East Boston has a donation collection going where people can drop off clothes and blankets in good condition, flashlights, batteries, new hygienic items, and first aid materials. The first donations will be shipped this Friday, and then again later in a week or two. They also have an online donation going.
“Any amount would be a huge help,” said Breiner Scarpeta, owner of the barbershop. He’s from the Chocó province and has family living there. “Fortunately my family is fine, everyone is alive. But the goal is to help other people who suffered losses— both in terms of lives and material possessions.”
Colombian restaurant El Peñol is asking restaurant-goers to donate to the New England Association For Colombian Children after paying for a meal, on Toast. Another restaurant, El Barco in Boston, will have a “Rumba Land” dance night on Saturday with a cover fee that will partially go to the same group.
On Thursday evening, a fundraising event is being held by Emprende y Conecta, a consortium of Latino entrepreneurs and small businesses, at the Comfort Inn & Suites Logan in Revere with a $10 cover. The group advocates for the Colombian community in the area and hosts events. Some members are in Colombia now helping with recovery efforts. Donations are also being collected online.
