A white flag with the message “Help, SOS” alerts rural areas in the municipality of Ansermanuevo to the critical situation faced by farmers affected by the 7.4 magnitude earthquake recorded last Monday in Colombia.
Residents of the cities of Ansermanuevo and El Cairo, in the department of Valle del Cauca (southwest), denounce the absence of authorities to assess the structural damage and the scant humanitarian aid received.
Those affected remain in their homes, many in precarious conditions, fearing that the homes will collapse and awaiting an official inspection. The help they received came exclusively from people passing by on the road that connects the two cities.
In the Las Brisas neighborhood, in Ansermanuevo, Milton Puentes Barahona raised the SOS flag alongside his wife and son. His house, which also functions as an inn and sport fishing center, suffered serious damage. “The house was practically destroyed, 100%,” said Puentes, who described the earthquake as “a terrible thing.”
Puentes noted that the only help they receive is spontaneous: “Cars pass by and give us half a kilo of rice; that’s practically all we receive.” However, their main need is for building materials, specifically zinc sheets to rebuild the roofs. His son, Óscar, understands that an engineer’s assessment is crucial in determining whether they can remain in their current location.
At Parador La Ribera, also in rural Ansermanuevo, owner Johanna Castañeda and five members of her family painted the words “Danger” and “Caution” in red letters on the exterior walls. The structure is on the verge of collapse following the earthquake in Colombia.
During the earthquake, the family had to evacuate, running towards an image of the Virgin Mary located a few meters from the property. “There we hugged, hoping that the scare would pass (…) Thank God, who gave us a second chance at life,” said Castañeda.
They are staying in the municipality of Cartago, but return daily to protect their belongings. “We ask the authorities to come and do us a favor and check the land, to come to the rural area because, frankly, no one has come here,” he demanded.
For their part, local authorities recognize the complexity of the emergency. Carlos Alberto Correa, interim mayor of the neighboring municipality of El Cairo, reported that institutions are overwhelmed by the need to provide assistance in urban areas, which have also suffered serious damage.
“We have not yet carried out the census in rural areas; we are only doing it in urban areas at the moment”, admitted Correa. However, he assured that they are sending humanitarian aid to farmers and that they are confident that they will complete the structural assessments as soon as possible. Meanwhile, uncertainty paralyzes the region’s farming communities, whose businesses and daily lives have been disrupted indefinitely.
Source: www.brasildefato.com.br
