Mayor Eder Praised the National Government's Logistical Support Since the Disaster's First Hours

Eighteen days after the August 10 earthquake, authorities in Cali and the Valle del Cauca department have closed the immediate emergency response phase and moved into reconstruction, with President Abelardo De La Espriella pushing for the effort to take less than the three years the city administration has estimated. The president made the statement during a new visit to the city on August 28, suggesting the work could even be completed before Mayor Alejandro Eder and Governor Dilian Francisca Toro finish their terms at the end of 2027. The announcement came at the Unified Command Post near the El Pueblo coliseum in southern Cali, where the distribution of rent subsidies and material kits for affected communities has begun. Mayor Eder praised the national government's logistical support since the disaster's first hours.

"The first day you (president) came to Cali and I asked you for 120 rescuers, you sent us 392. I will never forget that number, 392; by 4:00 in the morning we had them, Eder recalled, visibly moved. The mayor also detailed how public order coordination prevented major incidents in the city's vulnerable areas. "We asked to strengthen Cali's security forces, so there would be neither violence nor mass looting, as happens after an earthquake.

I asked for a thousand uniformed officers and 40 minutes after you gave the order, I received 1,100 soldiers, he said, thanking the central government's swift response. The president officially launched the economic disbursements for housing assistance. The measure includes initial support for three months of rent — extendable for an identical period — worth 1,050,000 pesos monthly per household.

The first consolidated payment each family receives will total 3,150,000 pesos. De La Espriella stressed the funds will go directly to beneficiaries without intermediaries, requiring only formal registration in the Unified Registry of Victims (Rufe). Regarding social stabilization funds, Eder outlined the institutional timeline with the Risk Management Unit.

"About six days ago we sized up the first number of victims we had to assist with humanitarian aid; today the money arrives, president, and I hope we start disbursing next Monday," he said. For homes with minor but habitable damage, the strategy includes construction material kits under an assisted self-build model and a supply bank in Valle del Cauca. The national government also confirmed the allocation of 110 billion pesos through the Ministry of Housing to finance 1,462 urban improvements and the construction of 741 rural homes.

The 1,050,000-peso assistance will go to families who lost everything due to total or partial collapses of their homes or apartments in buildings that cannot be inhabited, while material kits are for families with property damage who remain on their land. Eder warned citizens that structural recovery will require sustained effort. There is part of the marathon that will be a pain that will never heal; we will learn to live with it, he reflected. The day also featured solidarity from the business sector, with construction company Marval formally handing over four new apartments to the families of Diana Troncoso, Ana María Saavedra, Cristian López, and Maryori Basto, who suffered the total loss of their property.