Christian aid groups respond in Colombia as earthquake death toll mounts

Christian humanitarian organization Convoy of Hope began its second day of relief work in Colombia Tuesday, after a powerful earthquake Monday caused widespread damage in the country’s western regions. The U.S.-based organization had 25 staff members in Colombia who experienced the shaking and immediately began distributing needed supplies, Convoy of Hope spokesman Ethan Forhetz told WORLD. The effort comes as Colombia’s official death toll for the disaster reached more than 180 Tuesday, with nearly 2,600 people hurt. Estimates of those missing range from roughly 200 to over 3,000.

Forhetz said the organization’s staff members quickly bought food, water, and hygiene items to distribute in disaster-stricken areas. Shelter was also a need, with many homes destroyed or unstable, he said. People were sleeping in tents, afraid or unable to reenter their houses, he said. More supplies would likely be brought in by sea and air, he said.

Volunteers and partners, including local churches and missionaries, were also assisting in the response, Forhetz said. The organization works through local churches as much as possible to hopefully spur gospel conversations, he said. Some Convoy of Hope staffers frequently work on agricultural development programs in rural areas of western Colombia, and they were currently working to respond to small communities affected by the quake that may be overlooked in the government’s initial relief efforts, he said.

Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham said Tuesday that his relief organization was also responding through its three field offices in Colombia and was working on an airlift of humanitarian supplies, especially shelter tarps and hygiene kits.

Dig deeper: Read my initial report on the earthquake.