CALI, Colombia. — In Colombia, people are marking the exact moment a 7.4 earthquake uprooted so many lives.
Horns and noise echo memories of the chaos, when entire buildings came crashing down. At least 330 people died.
It was the largest earthquake to hit the country since 1979.
At least 20 buildings collapsed in Cali, and the cleanup continues. Some of the collapse sites have now been cleared.
Nearly 40,000 tons of debris have been removed from sites like this one, from more than 140 buildings that collapsed across Colombia.
With the debris cleared in Cali, the mayor has declared that the reconstruction process has begun.
But for people like Angela Charry, the uncertainty remains.
“I was autonomous. I had my own space. It was immense,” Charry said.
Her home, where she lives with her 90-year-old mother, was left uninhabitable. She is now staying with a family friend.
“All we are waiting for is an opportunity for housing,” she said.
For many survivors, finding a place to live is only part of the challenge.
“Some of them are feeling hopeless about the situation and don’t know what will happen,” said Pamela Londoño, a mental health leader with the NGO Project Hope.
“What they are in need of is a safe space to live. They are looking to recover their livelihoods. But also they are in need of mental health and social-psych support.”
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