Colombia earthquake: UN joins national response
Hundreds have been injured and the country's newly elected president said on Tuesday that more than 180 have died due to Monday’s 7.4 magnitude quake, which flattened homes and buildings in the west of the country and caused landslides.“Nearly 5,000 homes have been damaged and 387 have been destroyed; 61 buildings have collapsed and more than 550 educational institutions, 24 health facilities and more than 350 community centres have [been] affected,” said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN aid coordination office, OCHA.
“Those are official Government figures, we know they are being updated," he added.Redirecting resourcesThe United Nations is redirecting resources, moving pre-positioned emergency supplies and deploying additional staff to areas impacted, said UN Resident Coordinator in Colombia, María José Torres Macho, briefing UN correspondents on Tuesday. The Government has asked the UN to complement the national response, with initial priorities including temporary shelter, health, food security and protection.She said the UN was moving quickly, including by providing emergency kits already stored in country and World Food Programme logistics capacity, that can be used by the wider humanitarian community. Particular attention is being paid to families who have lost their homes, as well as women and children in vulnerable communities. Drawing on lessons from the recent earthquake response in Venezuela, the UN is looking at how to ensure pregnant women and young children are reached from the outset, including through possible mobile units for remote areas. The Resident Coordinator said the speed of the response also reflects the UN’s existing presence in affected regions and close coordination with Colombian institutions. “We were called upon immediately to be part of the response,” she said.Watch her briefing via videolink in full below:
