With thousands of structures destroyed and an expected death toll in the hundreds, the devastating Aug. 10 earthquake in Colombia is being felt far beyond the disaster zone, including here in Vancouver.
Members of B.C.’s Colombian community gathered Thursday for a night of mourning to honour lost loved ones and find strength together.
As prayers were said, Sebastian Alvarez placed a candle on the steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery for seven family members who were killed in the earthquake.
“I’m still waiting for them to text message or call or something,” he said.
“I think it hasn’t settled.”
Alvarez says his family had travelled home to Colombia for a special vacation to introduce a new member of the family: a one-year-old baby, who was lost in the quake.
“It was a hard moment for the family, no doubt,” he said.
Kiry Garcia moved to Vancouver from Colombia five years ago. She says she learned through Facebook that her lifelong friend was killed by falling debris.
“I know he was trying to help his colleagues in his work, trying to rescue them, and then a rock just fell on him and then he passed, unfortunately,” Garcia said.
After nearly 24 hours of waiting to hear from her family back home, she finally got a call from her mother, who was able to let her know that they were OK. But her childhood home was among the thousands that were destroyed.
“I know the material damage is nothing compared with life,” she said.
“I love them so much, and I can’t wait to see them again.”
For Alvarez, Garcia, and so many others, healing through community has been incredibly profound.
“It’s like having home, part of the family, part of my friends with me, supporting each other,” Garcia said.
“I feel a little bit like home again, and this is unbelievable,” shared Alvarez.
In Colombia, 400 people are still missing, more than 10,000 homes have been destroyed, and more than 150 aftershocks have been recorded as rescue and recovery efforts continue.
