The mayor who moved to a fire station after the earthquake: critical hours in Cali, why he dictated a curfew and the frantic search to save lives

He works from the Fire Station on Avenida de Las Américas. On the fourth floor of the building is the unified command post, where movement is incessant.

Clarion He entered the emergency room minutes before 10 p.m. The meeting had just ended to find out the status of the city of almost three million inhabitants and in which there are still 240 people missing.

His phone doesn’t stop ringing. His advisors tell him that he must record a video to report a new restriction on vehicle circulation to facilitate the passage of rescuers. While studying the preparation of new decrees due to the emergency, the mayor of Cali answers the questions of this medium.

-What is the state of the situation in Cali more than 40 hours after the earthquake?

-The situation in Cali is complex but stable. We had the earthquake on Monday morning. We have a total of 56 collapsed structures, we have 240 people who are reported missing and who are possibly trapped in these structures. However, of the 56 structures, we are focused on eight. That is where we have the greatest possibility of rescue, signs that there is life. That’s what allows us to focus. We are working mainly with Colombian rescuers; We have 350 rescuers from the national network, plus 400 firefighters and rescuers from Cali, that is, more than 750 people. And tomorrow we get rescue groups from the United States and Israel. We are also receiving donations of supplies from El Salvador and the Republic of Peru. We are moving forward. Today we have a window of 24 to 72 hours to continue saving lives, we are working at full speed.

-Were there delays in receiving international aid?

-There were no delays. Fortunately, Colombia has a very robust rescue network for these types of natural disaster or earthquake situations. According to international protocol, international aid is not received until local capacity is reached, because a reserve must also be maintained worldwide in case there is another incident somewhere else. At this moment we continue operating, we are operating very well in terms of local capacity, although President (Abelardo) De la Espriella has already decided to accept the offers from the United States and Israel.

-Did they take people out alive on Tuesday?

-We had four life rescues. This is great news, it is something very exciting indeed. Let us remember that there are many families here in Cali suffering, many people from Cali suffering, waiting for friends, family, neighbors. So every rescue is a breath of hope. Obviously, sadly there are many people who have lost their lives, but rescues remain a possibility and remain a reality.

-What are the eight buildings that you are going to focus on to search for life?

-There are six residential buildings, which were apartment towers that collapsed; some in the south of the city, in a sector called Capri, the rest are concentrated around Comuna 19, which is the central area of ​​Cali, around the Imbanaco Clinic, a well-known clinic in the city. But we also have two hospitals that are collapsed: one is the Clínica de Los Andes and the other is the HUV that partially collapsed, which is the Hospital Universitario del Valle. In those two hospitals we also have active rescues.

-He dictated the curfew. Have there been problems since he dictated it? Did people accept it?

-The people accepted it. I issued the curfew at the request of the community itself. Let us remember that although Cali is a city of 3 million inhabitants and 56 structures is relatively few, but we have 800 structures affected throughout the city, housing structures, mainly apartments, apartment buildings and houses. There are also many businesses that are exposed or workplaces, so what people asked for is more security. That is why we not only dictate the curfew, but we militarize the city: we have 1,000 soldiers in the affected area. Of the 21 communes that are like sectors of the city, 95% of the damage is concentrated in two of the communes: in Comuna 19 and in Comuna 17. This area is where the military presence is mainly.