Colombia: Reconstruction Begins After the Earthquake as the Puracé Volcano Rumbles
COLOMBIA · DISASTER
Key Facts
—What happened: Three weeks after the 10 August earthquake, the Colombia reconstruction phase is formally under way, led by the Housing Ministry and private builders.
—How big: The magnitude 7.4 quake killed more than 300 people and affected nearly 45,000 families, with damage estimated above US$9.5 billion.
—What is new: Valle del Cauca starts a pilot in Buenaventura to rebuild 90 stilt houses, paying local residents for the work.
—The catch: The money is not settled; Colombia is still arguing over which taxes will pay for a rebuild that could take six years.
—A second worry: The Geological Service recorded 58 tremors near the Puracé volcano on Sunday, already on orange alert.
—What comes next: Teams now assess buildings plot by plot to decide which homes are repaired and which are rebuilt from zero.
“We are going to get back up” has become Colombia’s unofficial motto since the earthquake. This week the phrase turned into machinery, as the Colombia reconstruction effort shifted from rescue to rebuilding while the Puracé volcano added a fresh scare.
From rescue to reconstruction
The magnitude 7.4 earthquake of Monday 10 August tore through western Colombia, hitting Cali, Pereira and Manizales hardest. The death toll passed 300, with the AFP news agency reporting 321 victims as funerals continued into late August.
The damage count explains the scale of the Colombia reconstruction task. Nearly 45,000 families were affected, and early loss estimates started above US$9.5 billion, concentrated in the western departments of Valle del Cauca, Risaralda, Caldas and Chocó.
President Abelardo De La Espriella set the national plan in motion on 13 August, sitting down with the country’s biggest construction companies at the San Carlos palace. The response, he said, cannot fall on the state alone.
Housing Minister Jaime Andrés Beltrán now leads the effort. Its first tools are rental subsidies for homeless families, relief on utility bills, machinery for rubble removal and a materials bank to supply the damaged regions directly.
The Valle del Cauca pilot: rebuild, repair, reanimate
The most concrete new step comes from Valle del Cauca, the department around Cali. Governor Dilian Francisca Toro announced a three-track programme she summarised as rebuild, repair and reanimate, the last one meaning psychological and spiritual support for survivors.
The pilot project will rebuild 90 stilt houses, the traditional waterfront dwellings known as palafitos, in the Pacific port of Buenaventura. Residents themselves will join the work crews and be paid daily wages, turning reconstruction into temporary income.
Toro was explicit that the emergency phase is over. Colombia cannot stay in humanitarian-aid mode, she said, and must start rebuilding while aid continues for as long as needed.
Technical teams are now going plot by plot across the damaged zone. Their job is to separate homes that need structural repair from those that must be demolished and rebuilt entirely.
Who pays for the Colombia reconstruction, and how long it takes
Former finance minister Juan Camilo Restrepo, who managed the coffee-region rebuild after the 1999 Armenia earthquake, has called for a home-grown Marshall Plan. He puts the bill at 20 to 40 trillion pesos (US$6.3 billion to US$12.6 billion) and wants it written into the 2026-2030 development plan.
That money fight is unresolved. As we reported in our coverage of the reconstruction finance debate, the government is leaning on subsidised mortgages and frozen student debt while Congress argues over taxes.
The honest timetable for the Colombia reconstruction is long. Our earlier estimate put full reconstruction at up to six years, and the government itself says this tragedy will not be overcome by the state alone.
Cali’s mayor, Alejandro Eder, supplied the phrase of the week after the last body was found in his city. “We caleños are going to get back up,” he said, “as a rebuilt city.”
A fresh scare from the Puracé volcano
As if one disaster were not enough, the Colombian Geological Service, known by its Spanish initials SGC, issued an extraordinary bulletin on Sunday. It recorded 58 tremors about 11 kilometres north-east of the Puracé volcano’s main crater, at an average depth of nine kilometres.
The strongest, magnitude 4.1, struck at 6:18 p.m. in the San Rafael valley and was felt in Puracé, Totoró and the city of Popayán. Three more quakes of magnitudes 3.9, 3.1 and 2.8 followed.
The SGC said the swarm is volcano-tectonic, caused by rock fracturing inside the volcanic structure, and that other monitoring parameters have not changed. Puracé has been on orange alert since late July, and we covered the 3,250-metre ash column last week.
Authorities asked residents to stay calm and follow only official channels. For a region already living through the Colombia reconstruction, the tremors were an unwelcome reminder that the ground has not finished moving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has Colombia’s earthquake reconstruction formally begun?
Yes. The national plan led by the Housing Ministry with private construction companies began on 13 August 2026, and Valle del Cauca has started a pilot to rebuild 90 stilt houses in Buenaventura with paid local labour.
How bad was the 10 August earthquake in Colombia?
The magnitude 7.4 quake killed more than 300 people, with AFP reporting 321 deaths, and affected nearly 45,000 families. Damage was estimated at more than US$9.5 billion, concentrated in Cali, Pereira, Manizales and the Pacific coast.
What happened at the Puracé volcano?
The Colombian Geological Service recorded 58 tremors near the crater on Sunday, the strongest of magnitude 4.1, felt in Puracé, Totoró and Popayán. The volcano has been on orange alert since late July, but other monitoring parameters are unchanged.
How much will rebuilding cost and who pays?
Former finance minister Juan Camilo Restrepo estimates 20 to 40 trillion pesos (US$6.3 billion to US$12.6 billion). The government plans rental subsidies, cheap mortgages and private-sector help, while Congress still debates the tax funding.
Connected Coverage
This follows our reporting on the CAF and Banco de Occidente rescue credit for damaged companies, the US$12.9 billion reconstruction cost estimate and the 8 percent mortgages and frozen student debt plan.
Sources: Presidencia de la República, Gobernación del Valle del Cauca via El País Cali, Servicio Geológico Colombiano via La República, La FM, Semana, Portafolio, AFP. Exchange rate: 3,170 COP per US$ (31 August 2026).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error
Read More from The Rio Times