Colombia earthquake: Vigil in Jackson Heights, Queens honors victims, shares info on disaster relief efforts
JACKSON HEIGHTS, Queens (WABC) — Rescuers pulled a woman alive from the ruins of an apartment building in Cali, Colombia, 29 hours after an earthquake struck, offering a sign of hope as search efforts continued and thousands of people remained missing in cities including Cali and Pereira.
The search for additional survivors remained underway, though officials and rescue workers faced a narrowing window to find people alive beneath collapsed structures.
In Jackson Heights, Queens, community members gathered for a candlelight vigil, where attendees read the names of more than 100 victims identified so far and shared information about how to help those affected by the disaster.
The vigil was organized by the office of New York State Sen. Jessica Ramos, who was returning from Colombia on Wednesday night. Ramos had been in Pereira visiting family when the earthquake struck.
“I am at the airport in Cali Colombia right now,” Ramos said in an interview from Colombia.
Ramos said the devastation she witnessed over the previous 48 hours was unlike anything she had experienced.
“Having seen these cities before and after. I mean, Pereira and Cali look like they were bombed,” she said.
Ramos said she and her family fled from the fifth floor of a building during the quake.
“Debris fell on us. I can’t tell you… the debris and pieces of walls that I feel like I swallowed. I just feel like my family was very lucky and I’m heartbroken for the families that weren’t,” she said.
She said she wants to begin relief efforts immediately upon her return to New York.
The Jackson Heights community has already begun organizing aid. A restaurant called Praga sent its first shipment of supplies Tuesday, and residents continued collecting donations for future deliveries.
Among them was Sonia Ramirez, who said she has family in Colombia and contributed what she could to the next shipment.
Ramirez said it is difficult not to feel helpless but hopes her contribution can make a difference as relief efforts continue.
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