READING, Pa. – The death toll continues to climb, and hundreds are still missing days after a devastating 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit Colombia.
“People in our committee, some of them have injured family members,” says Jobany Bedoya of Union Colombiana.
“Some of them have lost their homes. I was with a friend yesterday whose cousin, unfortunately, was crushed to death. Her husband survived in the rubble, but he’s intubated,” Bedoya added.
Through Union Colombiana, Bedoya is working on efforts to get supplies to those in need.
“Even the government in Colombia is still scrambling, trying to figure out the best approach,” Bedoya says.
Donations will be accepted at the HGSK law offices on N. 5th Street in the city of Reading.
Items most needed include things for sleeping, baby care, and first aid supplies.
“The local DoubleTree downtown Reading was super gracious,” says Bedoya. “[They] have always been a great partner of ours and their housekeeping department has offered tons of blankets, all kinds of sleep stuff.”
Right now, the group is NOT accepting donations of water, clothing, or things like toilet paper, which he says are still available in Colombia.
Union Colombiana is working with a company that will help ship the items next week, so donations will only be accepted through next Tuesday afternoon, August 18th.
“The whole point of this is to just help others in need, and that’s what we’re trying to get across,” says Bedoya.