Aura Cecilia Rodríguez Pérez, 52, was at home in Cali, living in a four-story apartment building, when she began to hear the walls creak and felt her bed rocking from side to side.
At 7:34 a.m. on Monday a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Colombia, with its epicenter in the municipality of San José del Palmar, in the Chocó department. The disaster immediately brought back memories of the catastrophe that struck neighboring Venezuela on June 24, where more than 6,300 people have been reported dead.
“My husband and my son were ready to leave, and I was still lying down when I heard a strange noise. Then came the screams and crying from the neighbors,” Rodríguez recalled. “As I got up, I looked out the window and saw dust everywhere. In that moment, you realize there is nothing more important than life. Material possessions mean nothing, and everything can change in an instant.”
Her voice trembled as she spoke.
In a phone interview, Rodríguez described what she calls the worst moments of her life.
As the shaking seemed to last forever, she and her family grabbed what little they could and ran toward the stairs. Every second felt endless. The roar of the quake seemed to come from every direction at once.
“My husband and my son were ahead of me, but I froze,” she said. “I couldn’t move. It was like my body had completely shut down. I thought the house was coming down.”
The memory lingers.
“You always think these things happen to someone else,” she added. “When you’re living through it, when you hear the building groaning and see people running for their lives, you understand how fragile we really are.”
Fortunately, the Rodríguez family escaped without major injuries or damage.
Not everyone was as fortunate.
In Manizales, about 180 miles from Cali, the situation remains far more severe. Authorities continue to receive reports of missing people and structural damage that has yet to be fully assessed. As search-and-rescue operations continue, hundreds of families are still waiting for news about loved ones.
San Diego restaurant becomes center of support
We spoke with Rodríguez and other residents in Colombia through family connections with Andrés Rodríguez, owner of Antojitos Colombianos, located at 2040 Imperial Ave. in Sherman Heights. Since news of the earthquake broke, the restaurant has become a hub for relief efforts among San Diego’s Colombian community.
“The community has responded in an incredible way,” Rodríguez said. “People have brought clothing, food, diapers and hygiene products. Many stop by just to ask what else they can do and how they can help.”
What began as a spontaneous response quickly grew into a community support network for families, friends and neighborhoods affected by the disaster thousands of miles away.
Donations continue to arrive at Antojitos Colombianos in San Diego, where Andrés Rodríguez has helped turn the restaurant into a collection hub for earthquake relief efforts in Colombia. (Photo by Alejandro Maciel/Times of San Diego)Despite the community’s willingness to donate supplies, organizers have encountered a new challenge.
“The Colombian Consulate in Los Angeles told us it will not assist with shipping the donations,” Rodríguez said. “That means we have to find our own way to get all these items to the people who need them.”
Other ways to help
Because of the logistical difficulties involved in transporting physical donations, the Colombian Red Cross has launched a fundraising campaign to support emergency response efforts following the earthquake.
Funds raised through the organization’s official website will help provide essential health services, restore telecommunications networks, improve access to safe drinking water, support search-and-rescue missions and reunite families separated by the disaster.
Another organization responding to the emergency is the Bogotá Food Bank, which has opened its donation channels and is accepting contributions through its website and via Bre-B using the number 0091677852.
For people outside Colombia, international humanitarian organizations also offer ways to help. World Central Kitchen is accepting donations to support its emergency response operations. WCK allows contributions by credit card or bank transfer.
The organization works with local teams, community kitchens, restaurants and other partners to distribute meals during crises. According to a statement, WCK is already on the ground in Colombia, working “to serve meals to people in need as quickly as possible.”
Looking for someone in Colombia?
Anyone trying to locate a loved one following the earthquake can contact the Colombian Red Cross Family Links Restoration Program via WhatsApp at +57 321 213 9525 or call 123 for emergency assistance and guidance.
Here’s other emergency and family reunification contacts:
Colombian Red Cross (Email): rcf@cruzrojacolombiana.org Registration Platform: Colombia Te BuscaHow many Colombians are in San Diego and across the U.S?
An estimated 10,000 residents of Colombian origin live in San Diego County, according to various American Community Survey data compilations.
The largest Colombian populations in Southern California are concentrated in:
Los Angeles County: 37,983 Orange County: 10,403 San Diego County: 9,986 Riverside County: 7,861 San Bernardino County: 4,614Together, those five counties are home to approximately 70,800 Colombians.
Nationwide, the largest Colombian communities is found New York City, home to 110,000 Colombians and one of its boroughs, Queens, with 74,000. Miami is home to up to 23,000 people from Colombia.
For many of them, the earthquake is not a distant headline. It is a phone call that never comes, a relative who has not answered, or an uncertainty that grows with every passing hour. That is why, in communities such as San Diego, the tragedy feels so personal – and residents are eager to help.
Antojitos Colombianos is one of the main gathering places for the Colombian community in San Diego County. (Photo by Alejandro Maciel/Times of San Diego)Hence then, the article about i thought the house was coming down cali survivor recounts earthquake as san diego rallies to help colombia was published today ( ) and is available on Times of San Diego ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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