READING, Pa. – Monday was a very tense morning for many community members with ties to Colombia.
Berks County resident Jobany Bedoya has family in Colombia. Bedoya’s first reaction to the news was to try to find out if they were safe. He says the hardest part was waiting to hear back.
“It’s very uncertain moments right now,” Bedoya says.
The man says he has been checking his phone all day to hear updates from his family.
Bedoya says he heard the news about the earthquake when he got to work Monday morning in Reading.
“I looked it up, and I was just blown away. It was very scary, then check in, panic mode kind of starts,” said Bedoya.
Bedoya shared that his family is okay, but says some friends had to evacuate their building twice.
“The building was literally shaking. I talked to another friend who said the building was swerving, everyone freaked out,” he said.
He says it’s hard not to feel helpless.
“It’s hard, it’s scary, it’s sad. You wish you could do more. You wish that you could be there, to maybe just provide some moral support. But at the end of the day, what can you really do?” said Bedoya.
Bedoya says he will continue checking in with his family tonight as rescue crews in Colombia work to reach people who may still be trapped.