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Un hombre de traje oscuro habla ante familias con niños y mantas entre escombros, carpas, ayudas y una retroexcavadora en una zona de reconstrucción
Erick Prometeo Media

Abelardo reports back in Cali weeks after the quake

From Cali, President Abelardo De La Espriella reported back weeks after the August 10, 2026 earthquake, reviewing the emergency response, direct transfers from…

--- The context --- From Cali, President Abelardo De La Espriella reported back weeks after the earthquake of August 10, 2026, a date that practically coincided with his first working day in office, and explained where reconstruction stands today. --- The facts --- He said that during the first weeks his priority was to respond to the emergency, help the injured, assist families who had lost their homes, guarantee food and shelter and accompany those who suffered the most painful consequences. He cited the economic emergency declared on August 19, the effective annual rate of 8 % for new housing loans and housing leasing in affected areas, temporary rent support, and grace periods and relief measures introduced by banks. --- The positions --- He praised his wife, First Lady Ana Lucía Pineda, mayors, governors, the national government, relief agencies, the public forces, business leaders and private and social organizations. He said direct transfers to households that lost their homes began on August 31, 24 days after the tragedy, that from mid-September they reached municipalities and other affected departments, and he recalled from Quibdó monthly support of $875,452 for three months from August 26. On the Patria Milagro Fund, created on September 9 to finance recovery, housing and infrastructure reconstruction, economic reactivation and risk reduction, he said it was set up on October 7 in a month and a half, received 624,656 million pesos from a World Bank loan, adds 377,000 million pesos delivered by the UNGRD, and will receive in November an additional 826,000 million pesos from the Housing Ministry for housing improvement, with targets, indicators, responsible officials and dates. --- What remains unknown --- The accounting does not yet detail how many homes have already been rebuilt or improved or how the November resources will be distributed in practice among affected departments. --- Unanswered questions --- How many families have received all the support and how many remain in temporary shelter? How will it be verified that the 826,000 million pesos go only to housing improvement? When will a public update by department be released? --- EPM analysis --- Through a social protection lens, the value lies in the sequence: immediate response, financial relief and an instrument to rebuild. The decisive test will be territorial, in households returning to a safe home. 📌 EPM Take: In EPM's view, reporting back in Cali weeks later puts the focus where it belongs: on families who lost their homes and on how quickly direct transfers, temporary rent support and credit at 8 % reached them. The rapid creation of the Patria Milagro Fund and the announced resources show a capacity to react, but reconstruction will only be credible if every peso becomes a recovered home, with public follow-up, verifiable targets and real priority for the most vulnerable households.
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