South Florida nonprofits rush critical rescue equipment to Colombia – NBC 6 South Florida

South Florida organizations are working to get critical search-and-rescue equipment to Colombia in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake, packing everything from flashlights and gloves to ropes and first-aid kits.

The Help Land Foundation and Fundación 7 Estrellas are among the groups collecting and preparing supplies they say are urgently needed by crews searching through rubble in areas including Cali and Pereira.

“All the things going on this plane are specifically what they need to save more people,” said Ender Urdaneta with the Help Land Foundation.

At an Opa-locka airplane hangar, volunteers filled backpacks with emergency supplies.

Allanys González of Fundación 7 Estrellas showed off some of the equipment being packed, including flashlights, gloves, bandages and first-aid kits. Other bags contain ropes that can be used by rescue crews.

The supplies are being carefully sorted and weighed before being loaded onto a private jet donated by a Colombian medical doctor.

The plane has already been used twice to deliver aid to Venezuela following devastating earthquakes in June. Now, the groups are turning their attention to Colombia.

“It’s just a matter of helping those in need and making sure it gets to the right place,” Urdaneta said.

The jet has a limited capacity of about 3,000 pounds, meaning organizers have to carefully determine what can be loaded for each trip.

The groups say timing is critical. With only days having passed since the earthquake, they believe getting specialized equipment to search-and-rescue crews quickly could improve the chances of finding and rescuing survivors.

Meanwhile, another aid drive is underway in Doral, where organizers are also collecting rescue equipment for Colombia.

Volunteers are needed, including people who can help with the heavy lifting.

So far, the organizations say they have been able to send about five tons of aid to Colombia.

But getting more supplies there will require money.

“We already have the plane. We only need the money for all the expenses on the flight,” Urdaneta said.

Organizers estimate they need as much as $16,000 to cover the flight-related expenses.

“Every cent counts,” Urdaneta said.

For González, the relief effort is personal. She is half Colombian and half Venezuelan and has family in the area affected by the earthquake.

Her relatives are safe, but she knows many others are still waiting for help.

The organizations say donations and volunteers can help them continue sending equipment to the rescue crews working in the hardest-hit areas of Colombia.