The Colombia Earthquake: Two Weeks Later, From Someone Who Lived in Pereira

By Shep · American, six years in Colombia, five cities · Published August 24, 2026 · Figures current to the UNGRD balance of August 24, 2026 · Last reviewed September 2, 2026

Why I am writing this

I had been living in Pereira for about eight months when my friend asked me to stay at their house near the beach in Santa Marta. Then came the part I was not ready for: I could not reach anybody. Cell reception was sketchy in both Pereira and Cali, partly because towers sat on the roofs of buildings that had just taken severe damage or come down completely. It took days of calling and texting to learn whether people I know were alive.

I spent most of my adult life in Los Angeles and moved to Colombia in 2020, so earthquakes don't usually frighten me. In Pereira I felt several and thought nothing of them. Typically, an earthquake shakes for a few seconds and stops. This one did not do that. Watching videos of the actual quake, how long it went on, and how it moved parked cars was the first time an earthquake actually scared me.

Why my read on this is worth anything

I have lived in five Colombian cities in six years—including Pereira and Cali. The roads between Pereira, Dosquebradas and Cerritos are ones I have driven for months. I lived in Pinares, walked through El Centro and Victoria Mall almost every day because I don't cook, and knew the people who took care of me at the local stores and restaurants. Knowing that many now have nowhere to work, nowhere to sleep, or have lost loved ones makes this deeply personal.

My living comes from advising Americans who are thinking about moving to Colombia, getting medical care here, or buying here. I am telling you that now, not in the footer, so you can weigh the rest of this against it. I take no money from any relief organization named on this page, and I get nothing if you give to one. Charity links are at the bottom of this page, if that is what you came for.

How to read the numbers here

Every figure below carries the agency that issued it and the date it was current, because the official toll rose almost every day for two weeks. If you see a different number somewhere else, check its date before you assume one of us is wrong.

US media coverage gave a death count and a brief video clip of rubble. It didn't cover the 4,600 injured, the people pulled out of debris by neighbors and families before first responders arrived, or the much larger group who cannot go back into buildings that are still standing but deemed uninhabitable.

Is Colombia safe after the earthquake?

For most travelers, I would not cancel a trip to Colombia over this earthquake. I also would not treat it as something that happened somewhere else and has nothing to do with your plans.

The damage is concentrated. If you are going to Bogotá, Medellín, Cartagena, Santa Marta or Barranquilla, those cities were not seriously affected and are running normally. If your plans involve Pereira, Manizales, Cali, Armenia or Chocó, they have changed.

That is the part I would want you to remember more than any number on this page.

What happened, and why it was felt in three countries

The epicenter was near San José del Palmar, a small town in Chocó. The Colombian Geological Service puts the depth at 64 miles down, and the US Geological Survey puts it at 68 miles.

It happened inside the Nazca plate, sliding under South America. The USGS calls it an intraslab event, meaning it broke deep inside the sinking slab rather than on a shallow crustal fault line. That distinction matters: the 1999 Armenia (6.2) and 1983 Popayán (5.6) earthquakes were shallow cracks about ten miles down. This one broke more than sixty miles below the surface.

What the depth did

Depth is what made this event unusual. A shallow earthquake concentrates destructive energy in a tight radius directly above the epicenter. This deep rupture meant no single surface city took the raw focal point of the break, spreading a moderate level of shaking across hundreds of miles instead.

Seismic waves also lose energy fast when passing through soft, cracked surface rock. Waves rising from sixty-odd miles underground travel through cold, dense mantle that absorbs far less energy along the way.

How a 7.4 compares with the earthquakes Colombia remembers

Earthquake magnitude is logarithmic. Each whole step up represents about 32 times more energy release.

The 1999 Armenia earthquake released roughly a sixtieth of the energy of this 7.4 event, yet it killed 1,185 people. It was extremely shallow, sat directly beneath a concentrated urban center, and hit older, unreinforced brick structures.

Will there be another one?

The SGC has repeatedly clarified that aftershocks do not allow anyone to predict future major quakes, as reliable earthquake prediction remains scientifically impossible. By August 12, the SGC registered over 130 aftershocks between magnitude 0.6 and 4.8. WhatsApp rumors alleging exact dates for upcoming quakes or artificial causes are false and have been officially dismissed by geological authorities.

The official numbers, and how far they moved

These figures come from the UNGRD (Unidad Nacional para la Gestión del Riesgo de Desastres). Notice how numbers updated over two weeks as rescue teams reached affected areas:

• 31,540 homes destroyed and 178,555 damaged; 467 buildings collapsed
• 185,226 families affected across 16 departments and 494 municipalities
• 3,483 schools, 348 health facilities, 449 roads and 112 aqueducts affected
• Deaths by department (August 20): Valle del Cauca 190, Risaralda 108, Chocó 12

Preliminary economic damage estimates sit around 30 trillion pesos (approx. US$9.8 billion at the official rate of 3,048.12 COP/USD on August 22, 2026). The national government enacted a 30-day state of emergency under Decreto 1261 de 2026.

Pereira, and why its downtown came down

Pereira has a population of about half a million. It took the brunt of structural damage outside Valle del Cauca:

• 83 people killed in Pereira alone, with 243 pulled out alive and 45 still listed as missing (Alcaldía de Pereira, August 12). Three of those deaths were at Matecaná airport, where the terminal roof came down.
• 66 buildings completely collapsed (El Tiempo, August 17), with a further 16 partially collapsed and 213 still under structural verification, and ground engineers estimating total losses closer to 80 buildings.
• About 1,000 people in shelters in the first days.
• 35,263 homes affected (15.4% of the city's housing stock).
• 4,658 registered businesses damaged, with 90% of local hotels temporarily suspending operations.
• 167 schools damaged.

The date that explains the damage

Pereira's downtown core contains significant older construction built before modern engineering regulations were enacted.

Structural engineers quoted by Cambio noted that the majority of full collapses occurred in unreinforced masonry buildings built around or before 1984 that lacked sufficient steel column ties.

Buildings deemed unsafe to enter

Aerial photos show collapsed structures, but they don't capture the adjacent buildings declared uninhabitable pending engineering checks. By August 18, Pereira authorized 17 structural demolitions, with total condemned building projections approaching 100.

The Pereira–Dosquebradas bridge and Matecaña airport

The Viaducto César Gaviria Trujillo

This cable-stayed bridge (opened in 1997) spans the Otún river valley, connecting Pereira and Dosquebradas. It carries the primary traffic flow between the two municipalities.

For context: in early 2026, INVÍAS initiated scheduled maintenance on eight stay anchorages following a 2023 study that noted stay oxidation without immediate structural failure risk. The older secondary crossing—Puente La Máquina (built 1921)—had already been completely closed in February 2026 due to extreme structural overload (270% of design capacity), leaving the main viaduct as the primary active corridor before the quake hit.

Matecaña airport status

Commercial passenger operations were suspended following terminal damage, including ceiling collapses over main escalator areas and exit zones. Airside facilities and runways were cleared early by Aerocivil.

On August 22, Aerocivil authorized a partial operational schedule capped at 14 flights daily (down from the normal 60), subject to airline coordination. Travelers holding tickets through Pereira must confirm flight statuses directly with carriers. Operational status at other regional airports restored quickly: Cali reopened day-of, Quibdó and Armenia by August 11, and Manizales on August 15.

Utilities and healthcare

• Water: Ruptures in two main 24-inch distribution lines caused temporary outages in central Pereira. Service was restored progressively through the week of August 13.
• Power: Pereira experienced total blackout on August 10; service was brought back to 75% by August 11 and 90% by August 13.
• Hospitals: Risaralda declared a red alert. Hospital Universitario San Jorge evacuated its 5th floor due to structural damage but restored 486 of 541 beds by August 20. Clínica Comfamiliar temporarily shifted pediatric and maternity care to field tents. Clínica Los Rosales remains operational, while Clínica Noé was fully evacuated.

Cali and Chocó

Valle del Cauca recorded 190 deaths as of August 20. Cali experienced roughly twenty full structural collapses alongside wall cracks in high-density areas, and Hospital Universitario del Valle suffered partial tower damage.

Friends of mine living in Cali experienced partial ceiling collapses in their apartment building. They had to evacuate down emergency stairwells carrying what they could, leaving behind damaged electronics and appliances, and were unable to return for several days while structural safety was evaluated.

Mayor Alejandro Eder faced public confrontations during visits to damaged neighborhoods on August 11 and 12 regarding relief distribution speeds. While local media recorded residents shouting "no te queremos" (we don't want you), reports alleging he was chased out of the city were inaccurate.

Chocó: infrastructure vulnerabilities

The epicenter occurred near San José del Palmar in Chocó, where 400 homes were damaged and 20 structures collapsed. The official departmental death toll stood at 12 due to low population density near the rupture point.

Chocó maintains a monetary poverty rate of 67.4% (DANE). As a predominantly Afro-Colombian department that has faced historical under-investment in public infrastructure (similar to Buenaventura and Tumaco), local transport networks were severely disrupted. Landslides at Pueblo Rico severed the main overland road route from Pereira, necessitating US Air Force C-130 relief flights directly into Quibdó.

Public figures, including Shakira (collaborating with Global Citizen and Live Nation), committed US$1.25 million to fund the reconstruction of ten schools and university facilities in Chocó to accelerate educational recovery.

Government and international relief response

President Abelardo de la Espriella was three days into his term when the quake hit on August 10. Initial administrative friction occurred regarding international search teams: Colombia accepted medical and humanitarian supplies immediately but restricted foreign rescue personnel pending INSARAG certification standards. This led to public statements from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum regarding her military search unit's clearance process. By August 13, specialized urban search teams from the US (Fairfax and LA County units), Israel (IDF search division), Ecuador, and El Salvador were integrated on site.

Delivered aid totals (as of August 20)

Over 640 metric tons of international relief supplies landed in Bogotá, Cali, Medellín, and Pereira:

• United States: US$26.5 million committed; two specialized USAR teams; SOUTHCOM C-130 flights; Starlink communication kits.
• Israel: 82 IDF search-and-rescue personnel deployed to Cali for structural assessments.
• China: 77.6 metric tons of equipment (tents, generators, water purification systems).
• El Salvador and Mexico: 100 metric tons and 58.5 metric tons of medical supplies and food, respectively.
• Financial commitments: World Bank disbursed US$200 million via catastrophic risk lines; IFRC launched a CHF 25 million appeal; European Commission (ECHO) allocated €2.1 million.

What this means if you plan to move, buy, or travel here

The Colombian Geological Service hazard map designates roughly 83% of Colombia's population within high or intermediate seismic risk zones. Pereira, Manizales, Cali, and Chocó sit in the high-hazard category; Bogotá and the Caribbean coast sit in lower risk zones.

As I always tell clients: "You cannot control the earthquake. You can control which building you choose to live in."

Modern building performance: the Ittos 15 example

Modern engineering standards hold up when enforced. For example, I lived in The Ittos 15, a 21-story residential tower near Pinares in Pereira that completed construction around November 2025. It was built under modern seismic guidelines (NSR-10), and despite intense shaking across the city, the tower survived structurally without major issues.

Insurance guidelines for property buyers

If you purchase real estate in Colombia, carry proper insurance coverage rather than relying on building management alone:

• Mandatory policy (seguro de incendio y terremoto): If you hold an active mortgage (crédito hipotecario) or leasing contract with a Colombian bank, fire and earthquake coverage is legally mandatory for the structural value of the debt.
• Voluntary home policy (seguro voluntario de hogar): If you pay cash or own your property outright, buy a voluntary home policy through an authorized Colombian insurer. This covers structural damage, interior contents (furniture, electronics), and personal liability.
• Deductibles (deducibles): Earthquake policies in Colombia typically carry a deductible clause—frequently around 2% of the insured property value or structured per specific policy terms. Verify registered insurance carriers through the official Fasecolda directory (Federación de Aseguradores de Colombia).

Action steps by situation

• If choosing a city: Lower seismic threat zones include Cartagena, Barranquilla, Santa Marta, and Bogotá. Review my city matcher tool to compare variables across locations.
• If buying property: Make construction year and structural engineering checks part of your due diligence alongside the legal title search (estudio de títulos). See my guide on investing in Colombia as an American.
• If coming for medical care: Procedures in Medellín, Bogotá, Bucaramanga, and the Coast are running normally. If booked in Pereira or Cali, confirm facility operational status with your clinic coordinator prior to travel. Read how to verify a Colombian clinic.
• If moving to the Coffee Region: Consider delaying your arrival date by several months to allow local rental stock, utility services, and hotel availability to stabilize following displacement pressures. Read how to move to Colombia as an American.

What I would do if I were planning a trip or a move right now

1. Pick the city before the apartment. Most people start with a listing they liked and work backward. Start with which city fits how you want to live, then look at neighborhoods, then look at buildings.
2. Check the building itself, not the city's reputation. When it was built, what it is made of, and whether an engineer has been through it since the earthquake.
3. Check conditions before you travel. Not a three-month-old article, and not this one. Call the airline, the clinic, the building administrator.
4. Have a fallback. Know where you would stay and how you would get out if your building or your route stopped being available.
5. Learn the country before you make the big decision. People research flights, apartments, beaches and restaurants, then arrive and find they never researched Colombia. That is the one that costs money.

What I would take away from this

The earthquake was serious. People died, a city I lived in lost 15% of its housing, and families in Chocó are still waiting.

It is not a reason to write Colombia off. It is a reason to stop making decisions about Colombia from a distance. Learn the city, learn the neighborhood, understand the building, know how the healthcare works and what things cost, and then decide. That is what I have spent six years doing here, and it is why I built GeoGringo.

If you are seriously considering Colombia, the free Colombia Field Guide is where I would start.

More from GeoGringo

• The Colombia safety readiness check — real risk assessments ranked by likelihood
• What a month in Colombia actually costs — broken down by city
• How I moved here from the US — full process and lessons learned
• Everything I have written down — free and paid, in one place
• All free interactive tools — no email required

Verified relief organizations

If you choose to donate, send funds directly through established institutional portals to prevent fraud:

Shep — an American living in Colombia since 2020. I've lived across five cities—Medellín, Cali, Cartagena, Barranquilla, and Pereira—and traveled through dozens more. I provide independent relocation guidance with zero real estate commissions, zero clinic referral fees, and zero sponsored fluff. Learn more about my background →

Sources

• US Geological Survey (us6000tjl2) and Servicio Geológico Colombiano
• UNGRD bulletins (August 10 to 22, 2026), UN OCHA, PAHO situation reports
• Fasecolda (Federación de Aseguradores de Colombia) — insurance regulations and carrier registry
• Cambio, El Tiempo, El Espectador, Semana, Blu Radio, Forbes Colombia, Portafolio
• Aerocivil and INVÍAS operational reports
• Policía Nacional DIJIN fraud alerts