00:17Welcome back. The humanitarian crisis in Chocó, Colombia, is worsening in the wake of the earthquake
00:22on August 10. White sectors of the population assert that the government's response is
00:28insufficient given the extent of the damage caused by the natural disaster. Our colleague
00:32Esteban Garavito shares the details with us. Most affected by the earthquake was the department
00:39of Chocó, the epicenter of the quake. This report began in Kibdu. It's a pretty complex situation.
00:49And we're still quite scared because, at least in my case, I was taking a shower with my daughter
00:53and we had to get dressed quickly and run out with my daughter hud like this out into the street.
00:59The street where everyone was screaming. I panicked because I'd never experienced a
01:03situation like this before. So difficult, with my neighbors outside and watching the building
01:09collapse. Here at my neighbor's place, Priscilianito, where there were approximately 15 apartments where
01:14people were still inside. Who hadn't yet managed to get out of there.
01:22Today, the capital of Chocó is littered with collapsed buildings, while other structures
01:27that remain standing appear to have suffered no damage. However, the truth is that many of these
01:33structures were damaged inside and their facades merely hide the truth.
01:38Well, from the outside, it looks like nothing has happened to the house, right?
01:43But inside, everything has collapsed. What's still standing right now needs to be repaired
01:47so it can be made habitable again.
01:52Just as with houses whose facades appear to be in good condition, but which, in reality,
01:56are death traps, there are other realities that remain unknown.
02:02We are referring to the impacts in rural Chocó, where local leaders point out that there is
02:07no assistance from the Colombian government.
02:12Well, we happen to find ourselves here in the Medrano neighborhood, which was one of the areas
02:17where the earthquake was felt most strongly, right?
02:21But it's also like telling the official media and all government agencies that we're only
02:26highlighting in urban context, while what's happening in rural areas is being ignored.
02:35This was an invitation to go to the deep rural areas of Chocó, to engage with its residents,
02:40to learn what happened. That way, we heard the demands of the people who recall the state's neglect
02:45and demand attention from the Colombian government.
02:51In the context of Lomas del Chupe, historically, we are people who live from day to day, we are
02:56people from a low socioeconomic class, and right now we've been hit hard by the issue of public
03:01disorder. This is no secret throughout Colombia, and we in particular have been displaced. We are
03:06victims. We have received very little help from the central government, because the homes that would
03:10have been built through the day-to-day hard work of each head of household. The problem we face today
03:14is that we are waiting for aid, whether from the national, departmental, or municipal government.
03:19And so far, no one has made an appearance in this rural area.
03:23We also witnessed the work that social and human rights organizations are doing to help their
03:27communities. We saw the efforts made by the communities themselves to sustain themselves and
03:32rise up with dignity and a historic synergy.
03:36Right now, we're doing what we've been doing since the earthquake hit, which is cooking. We gather
03:41together because we all support each other. That's why you see so many people, because a specific
03:46small group of us gathers in the morning, and some of us at lunchtime, and others of us gather so
03:51that
03:51the whole town can eat, because there are some people who don't have access to their kitchens.
03:57So, the best thing to do is to cook the way we're doing it now, so that everyone can eat,
04:01and that's what we do.
04:05Night falls in the department of Choco, and yet there are glimpses of hope. There is
04:09resilience in the face of warnings of war that only exacerbate the humanitarian crisis.
04:13There is a struggle to build a new tomorrow. From Keeb Doe, in the department of Choco,
04:18Colombia, with camera work by Carlos Quintero and Esteban Garavito, Telesur.
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