Colombia Earthquake
People in Colombia are facing some of the hardest days of their lives. Your kindness today brings emergency food or cash to those who have nowhere else to turn. Thank you for showing them they are not alone.
On the morning of 10 August 2026, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia. Homes fell. Hospitals cracked. Families ran into the streets with nothing. Hundreds of people have died. Thousands more are hurt. Many families have nowhere to sleep tonight. ADRA is already there, helping the families who lost the most.
329
Deaths confirmed
4,600
People injured
250
People missing
194,000
Homes destroyed or damaged
476
Municipalities affected
10,500,000
People who felt strong shaking
Source: UN News as of Aug 20, 2026
What Happened
At 7:34 in the morning on August 10, 2026, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia. The centre was near a small town in Chocó, about 280 kilometres west of the capital, Bogotá.
It was the strongest earthquake Colombia has seen in more than 100 years.
The shaking spread far. About 10 million people felt it. It reached Cali, Pereira, Manizales and Bogotá, and was even felt in Ecuador. Since then, nearly 30 smaller quakes have followed.
Thirteen regions of Colombia were hit. Four were hit hardest: Risaralda, Valle del Cauca, Chocó and Caldas.
The damage goes far beyond homes:
- 796 schools damaged, so children cannot go back to class
- 84 health centres and hospitals damaged, including one of the region’s largest hospitals in Cali
- 73 roads blocked or broken, which makes it hard to reach people who need help
- 16 water systems damaged, leaving families without clean water
Rescue teams are still searching the rubble. Nobody yet knows how many people have lost their homes for good.
What Families Need Right Now
A place to sleep
Thousands of homes was destroyed. Families need shelter.
Clean water
Damaged pipes mean many families have no safe water to drink. Without it, illness spreads fast.
Food
Shops are closed, kitchens are buried, and money has run out.
Medical care.
Thousands are injured, and many hospitals are damaged or full.
Cash
Families know best what they need. Cash help to rebuild their lives on their own terms.
How ADRA Is Helping
ADRA’s team in Colombia went into action the same day the earthquake struck. Staff and volunteers who live in these communities are already on the ground.
We are planning to give food or cash directly to families.
This may sound simple, but it is one of the most effective ways to help after a disaster. Instead of guessing what a family needs, we let them decide.
One mother uses it to pay rent so her children sleep indoors. Another buys food and medicine. Another fixes the roof so the family can go home. One gift covers whatever that family needs most, right away.
We start with the families who need it most: those who lost their homes, families with young children, older people, and people with disabilities.
ADRA has committed $100,000 US to this response and is working to raise $200,000 US across the global ADRA network. Our teams are working alongside the Colombian government, the United Nations and other aid groups so that help reaches everyone and nothing is missed.
How You Can Help
People in Colombia are facing some of the hardest days of their lives. Your kindness today brings emergency food or cash to those who have nowhere else to turn. Thank you for showing them they are not alone.
Every gift makes a difference. Thank you for standing with families in Colombia.