In Woodside, Queens, the signs of Colombia are hard to miss.<\/p>\n
Flags hang outside businesses while boxes of donations are now stacking up inside one of them.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were all on the same page. We all texted each other saying, \u2018Listen, this is an opportunity to step up,\u2019\u201d organizer John Londono said.<\/p>\n
Londono is part of the Colombian American Police Association, the organization that set up more than a dozen collection sites across the city following the deadly earthquake on Monday.<\/p>\n
When organizers needed a place in Woodside, Franklin Santana opened his doors.<\/p>\n
\u201cHere in Queens, it\u2019s a big Colombian community. We feel it,\u201d Santana said. \u201cIt hurts, and if we can help here, why not?\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s what brought carloads of donations there.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey tell us there\u2019s a big need right now for first aid and emergency supplies like tents, gloves, masks because of all the rubble that is there,\u201d Londono said.<\/p>\n
In Colombia, rescuers are still searching through the wreckage of collapsed buildings.<\/p>\n
This as the rescue operation continued. So far, nearly 200 people have been killed, and more than 3,000 are injured.<\/p>\n
And for survivors, the need is growing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re just trying to give a little piece of our hearts to the people who are having a bad time there,\u201d volunteer Catalina Rodriguez said.<\/p>\n
Queens state Sen. Jessica Ramos was in Colombia during the earthquake.<\/p>\n
Her team in New York is holding a relief drive as well, and they\u2019re also holding a vigil for the victims of the earthquake on Wednesday.<\/p>\n