The slow road to recovery

Nearly two months on, communities in quake-ravaged western Colombia are slowly rebuilding shattered lives helped by global support from Red Cross societies.

The magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia on 10 August 2026, killing at least 319 people, injuring more than 4,600, and causing widespread destruction across cities including Cali, Pereira, Quibdó, and Manizales. 

Thanks to the generosity of New Zealanders, our Colombia Earthquake Emergency Appeal raised nearly $60,000.

These funds have been transferred to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) that has been on the ground, working alongside the Colombian Red Cross.  This support has meant teams can continue to provide medical care, psychosocial support, relief supplies and help reconnect families.  

In San José del Palmar, a remote municipality in Chocó's Pacific coast region, the damage has hit schools especially hard. Debris still covers the landscape and classrooms still sit empty. 

When the quake struck, teacher Rosalba and her seven young students ran to the school patio, watching for falling power lines as the building's kitchen collapsed around them. At another school nearby, Principal Consuelo says earlier evacuation drills meant her students filed out calmly, without injury. 

But reopening and going back to school isn't simple for families in this area. Schools here serve as more than classrooms — they're informal daycares and community hubs, and in an area where armed groups are present, one of the few safe spaces for children. 

Parents won't send their children back to school until buildings are formally inspected, and that assessment takes time local institutions are struggling to provide. 

The Red Cross has been working in rural Chocó for years supporting communities affected by Colombia's armed conflict which has meant that these relationships have enabled teams to move in quickly to assess health needs and inspect school infrastructure alongside residents.  

But it still takes time. Across San José del Palmar's rural area, ICRC teams have identified at least seven schools unable to hold classes. 

While the focus now is on recovery, for families like Consuelo's, the Red Cross presence offers something they badly need: a sign they aren't facing this alone, even though it might be some time before life returns to normal.