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On Monday, a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia, killing more than 250 people so far and compromising hundreds of buildings. Many others remain trapped under collapsed structures as rescue crews race to account for the missing.<\/p>\n
The seismic event heavily impacted the country\u2019s third-largest city, Cali, which lies near the Pacific Coast. Colombia\u2019s Pacific region around the quake\u2019s epicenter lies in the \u201cRing of Fire,\u201d the line of seismic faults encircling the Pacific Ocean where most of the world\u2019s earthquakes occur.<\/p>\n
Colombia\u2019s Geological Service noted the quake was country\u2019s strongest recorded tremor in the 21st century and that it was followed by nearly two dozen powerful aftershocks.<\/p>\n
Newly elected Colombian president Abelardo de la Espriella declared a state of emergency to help expedite access to funds and resources.<\/p>\n
A magnitude 7.4 quake rocks western Colombia, causing serious damage to buildings and prompting evacuations as far away as Bogota<\/p>\n
The earthquake came only weeks after two massive earthquakes struck Venezuela, causing catastrophic destruction, particularly in urban areas in the northern part of the country near Caracas.<\/p>\n
The situation in Colombia is all-hands-on-deck and a litany of organizations worldwide are rallying together to get aid to earthquake victims.<\/p>\n
Here are some places people can contribute funds and resources to:<\/p>\n
The organization started by world-renowned chef Jos\u00e9 Andr\u00e9s has been providing food services to disaster victims worldwide since 2010.<\/p>\n
Currently, WCK is partnering with several of the Colombian municipalities affected by the earthquake to help provide nutritious meals to those in need as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n
Donations to the organization are being accepted here.<\/p>\n
Scientists say Caracas\u2019 seismic risk mirrors that of Los Angeles and San Francisco, where older non-ductile concrete, soft-story and brick buildings are also at risk.<\/p>\n
Direct Relief is a nonprofit organization that focuses on providing medical resources to populations facing crisis and emergency situations.<\/p>\n