Wounds that just began to heal have been reopened for many in South Florida as yet another earthquake hit South America, this time in Colombia.
A 7.4 magnitude earthquake — as big as the ones that hit Venezuela in June — knocked down buildings across several cities on the morning of Monday, Aug. 10. At least 111 people are dead and 87 injured as of Aug. 11. Search-and-rescue crews are looking for those still trapped in the rubble.
About 36,000 Colombians call Palm Beach County home, according to the American Community Survey, done annually by the U.S. Census Bureau. They are among about 240,000 living in South Florida.
The Diocese of Palm Beach, which includes Palm Beach County and four others in the area, released a statement to its social-media
pages calling on followers of the faith to pray for both the victims and those working to help.
"Please pray for those affected by the a 7.4 magnitude earthquake that struck western Colombia this morning. … We pray for the first responders, medical personnel and rescue workers who are risking their lives to help others."
The Colombian Red Cross, just one branch of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), are currently boots on the ground in some of the hardest hit areas.
"The Colombian Red Cross has activated its National Crisis Room and search and rescue teams from Antioquia, Quindío and Caldas are active. Thirty search and rescue responders from Antioquia have been deployed to Chocó, one of the areas most affected by the earthquake," written as part of a news release on their website.
The disaster comes just weeks after two powerful earthquakes hit Venezuela that left at least 5,500 people dead and thousands more missing, demolished buildings and damaged airports on the evening of June 24.
Those quakes followed two that struck off the coast of Cuba earlier in June, the first of which shook Palm Beach County and other parts of Florida.
This is a breaking story. Check back to www.PalmBeachPost.com for updates.
Arianna Otero covers breaking news for the Palm Beach Post. Contact her via email at AOtero@pbpost.com and follow her on X: @ari_v_otero.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Colombia earthquake shocks South Florida, prompts calls for prayer
