Queens' Colombian community fears for loved ones back home after deadly quake
JACKSON HEIGHTS, Queens (WABC) -- Residents of New York City's Colombian community are closely following the aftermath of a powerful earthquake in Colombia that caused widespread destruction in Cali and other cities, while rescue crews race to reach people believed trapped beneath collapsed buildings.
Television screens in Colombian bakeries along Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights, Queens showed scenes of devastation, including collapsed structures in Cali, people running for cover and a cathedral splitting apart in Manizales.
Natalia Bernal, who has family in Colombia, said the images fill her with a feeling of homesickness and despair.
Cali, Colombia's third-largest city with about 2 million residents, is the most densely populated area affected by the quake.
Loni Cerna said her son, a college student in Cali, is safe, but parts of the campus were heavily damaged, and people may still be trapped.
The earthquake struck at about 7:30 a.m. Monday and was centered in the rural Pacific coastal region of Chocó. The shaking was strong enough to bring down buildings in Cali, about 100 miles away. It was also felt in Bogotá, roughly 250 miles from the epicenter, though the capital was largely spared significant damage.
Colombia's new president, Abelardo De La Espriella, who took office last week, said he was halting his official schedule in response to the disaster.
"I have ordered the suspension of my entire schedule," he said.
The earthquake presents an immediate challenge for De La Espriella, a lawyer and businessman with no government experience, as officials respond to what was described as the country's worst natural disaster in more than a decade.
For many Colombians in New York, communication with loved ones has been difficult.
Luisa Ladino, who has family in Colombia, said reaching relatives to confirm their safety was difficult and that the unpredictable nature of such a large disaster is frightening.
Members of the Colombian community said they are grateful that recovery efforts may not face the same challenges seen after earthquakes struck neighboring Venezuela six weeks ago. Following those quakes, assistance flowed from Colombia into Venezuela. Now, they said, Colombia is in urgent need of help.
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