Colombians in metro Atlanta are coming together to help after this week’s deadly earthquake.
Channel 2’s Wendy Corona shares how they’re helping after Colombia’s government declared a national disaster.
“We are so happy with the people, the communities helping each other,” says Laura Leal, assistant manager at La Abuela, a Colombian restaurant.
Donations poured in at Colombian restaurants throughout the metro Atlanta area more than 48 hours after the 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit the western part of the country.
“We have a lot of things that we the people need in Colombia like lights, gloves, food. We have healthcare, we have shampoo, products for babies, for dogs,” said Camilo Leal, La Abuela’s general manager.
Local restaurants are collecting items that survivors need. They say they are not limiting the number of donations. They just want to make sure it gets to the most vulnerable in the country.
“Everything is being collected here and then place that the Columbia Consul. And they’ll be the ones handling delivery, making sure everything gets to the families in need,” said Alex Velasquez, owner of Casa Vieja restaurant.
This assistance comes amid the massive rescue and recovery effort.
The search for survivors grows more desperate as teams push up against a key time threshold to locate victims before it’s too late.
Aid agencies consider the first 48 to 72 hours crucial for finding people alive.
They say teams are on the ground, but this will not be an easy task.
“The devastation is vast and it covers a large geographical area,” said Francine de la Rosa, board member of Global Empowerment Mission.
The restaurant owners Channel 2 Action News talked with say they will be accepting donations through Friday.
They plan to then send the collected items on Saturday.
Drop-off locations
There are at least two metro Atlanta restaurants collecting donations for Colombia:
- La Abuela, which has locations in Alpharetta, Atlanta, Doraville, Duluth and Lawrenceville,
- Casa Vieja in Doraville.
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