- August 13, 2026
Ormond Beach based nonprofit Cultural Awareness Fund, in partnership with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, has launched a relief effort to help victims of the recent earthquake in Colombia.
The relief effort, according to a news release, is focused on two immediate needs: monetary donations and equipment capable of helping rescuers remove concrete, rubble and structural debris from collapsed buildings.
"Across affected areas of Colombia, rescue crews, volunteers and residents are working through the remains of collapsed structures searching for survivors," the news release states. "For the Cultural Awareness Fund and its community partners, the priorities of this effort have been shaped directly by lessons learned during the recent Venezuela earthquake relief operation. That experience demonstrated that traditional humanitarian supplies such as food, clothing and personal-care items are important, but the first hours and days following a major earthquake present a different and extraordinarily urgent problem: People must first be reached."
Rescuers need equipment capable of cutting, breaking, lifting and removing concrete and structural debris to reach people who may still be trapped.
The equipment requested includes:
A continually updated list of equipment and relief supplies, as well as financial contribution information, is available at https://www.letstalkcolombia.com.
"We are applying what we learned during the Venezuela relief effort to Colombia," said William J. Sanchez of the Cultural Awareness Fund. "Our priority is getting the tools and resources into the hands of the people who are trying to remove concrete and rubble from collapsed structures. Every hour matters when someone may still be underneath."
Donation drop-offs and times
