00:18The capital of the Risarada Department, one of the areas hardest hit by the earthquake
00:22that struck Colombia on August 10th, still bears the scars left by these events.
00:27His residents are showing resilience in the face of the government's low response to their demands for reconstruction aid.
00:33Our colleague Hernán Tawar has the details.
00:39We arrived in Pereira one month after the August 10th earthquake in Colombia.
00:44The damage caused by this natural disaster is still visible on the city's buildings.
00:51Amid this situation, local authorities stated that approximately $322 billion will be needed to rebuild the city.
01:00However, according to the municipal administration, neither the timeline nor the plan for allocating these funds,
01:08which come from what the Espriella administration has dubbed the Miracle Fund, has been established yet.
01:18What the public is asking for, what the people are asking for, is for this to actually happen,
01:23for it not to remain just words, for it not to be just, we're going to do this.
01:28They want the aid to arrive. They want the assistance to reach the business owners,
01:32who need it not just as store owners or shop owners.
01:35Behind every business, there are many people, there are employees, there are families.
01:40Every employee has a family and needs to make a living.
01:43I know they're managing to get by, but it's difficult, it's very complicated, to cover payroll and so many other
01:48expenses.
01:48So I really hope the aid reaches them and isn't just empty promises.
01:53Pereira, the capital of Rizaralda, was the city hardest hit by the earthquake,
01:58which damaged nearly 10,000 homes and caused hundreds of buildings to collapse completely or partially,
02:04affecting more than 40,000 people.
02:06In response, the local government launched a series of financial aid initiatives and assistance programs for those affected.
02:14Among the measures are financial assistance of approximately $300 for street vendors, lines of credit for merchants,
02:21and the Decent Roofs program, which aims to help nearly 4,000 families repair their homes.
02:28Although the community welcomes these initiatives, there have been calls for them to be implemented more promptly.
02:35Despite the difficult circumstances, the residents have not lost hope of moving forward and look to the future with optimism.
02:45All I've received so far is a little table they gave me, and even that was from Chiel,
02:49because that's what the city government here provides.
02:54So far, I haven't received anything else. The million pesos they're supposed to be giving out hasn't shown up either.
03:01That's why I've been making the rounds to see if they'll give it to me, but so far I've only
03:04received one payment from the city government
03:06and nothing at all from the state government.
03:08And the government is taking even longer because they were compiling some lists, but that's taking even longer.
03:14What they're expediting the most right now is one million pesos from City Hall, but I haven't benefited from it.
03:24On this first tour of the downtown area, the city's commercial hub, there's a greater flow of people and more
03:31open stores.
03:34However, many of its streets remain closed due to the demolition of some buildings.
03:41Workers in this area are experiencing anxiety over job uncertainty in the wake of the earthquake.
03:51Let's just say that at home there's fear, the fear of losing our jobs, the fear of how we're going
03:56to put food on the table, the rent, all these are debts that keep piling up, and the utility bills
04:01keep coming.
04:04So it's that fear that I think all of us who suffered through the earthquake are going through.
04:09And many people are still out of work because, if you look around here, the buildings are gone.
04:15So whether or not those people are getting help is the question we're asking ourselves.
04:25Amid this situation, people like Diego are offering their help to feed those most in need and hardest hit by
04:34the earthquake.
04:37Right now, I feel terrible because I'm going back to my city. It's badly wounded.
04:43My beloved all-night city, Pereira, is going through a tragic crisis.
04:49But that doesn't stop us from moving forward. We are a resilient people. Pereira hasn't always been known for being
04:55a bitter place, no matter what.
04:57It doesn't let anything bring it down, so we invite the public to support us in this noble cause.
05:04According to the mayor of this city, the necessary resources are still pending so that the reconstruction process can move
05:11forward in areas that must be driven by the national government.
05:14With William Moreno behind the camera, Hernan Tobar, Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia.
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