2 hours ago
Amazon is assessing urgent needs in partnership with food banks and other first responders
We're thinking of everyone impacted by the devastating earthquake that struck western Colombia on August 10. The 7.4 magnitude quake struck near San José del Palmar on the Pacific coast, claiming more than 250 lives and causing widespread destruction. We are taking immediate action to provide support and relief during this challenging time.
Here's how Amazon is helping communities affected by the Colombia earthquake:
Prioritizing safety
Our top priority is ensuring the safety and well-being of our employees and partners. We have a 24/7 operation dedicated to providing alerts and up-to-date information when severe events like this occur to help inform our operational decisions, as well as emergency resources for impacted employees.
“Right now, our focus is on our employees and the people in communities affected by the Colombia earthquake. We are working with community partners and humanitarian organizations to identify where additional support is needed, and we will continue that work in the weeks ahead. We urge everyone to follow guidance from local emergency officials,” said Abe Diaz, head of Amazon's Disaster Relief.
Donating and delivering emergency supplies
Amazon is working with humanitarian relief agencies on the ground in Colombia, including local food banks, to assess what emergency supplies we can donate and deliver to support affected communities. Where local sourcing is possible, we prioritize buying supplies within the affected country to get aid to people faster and support the local economy.
When needed, we can also draw on our network of 12 Disaster Relief hubs in seven countries—stocked with tarps, blankets, and other emergency supplies—so we can get aid when and where it’s needed as quickly as possible.
Since 2017, Amazon has donated and delivered more than 30 million essential supplies in response to more than 200 disasters around the world, including the Venezuela earthquake and Türkiye and Syria earthquake.