ORU and the regions, fully involved in helping Ecuador after the earthquake

In the face of the emergency caused by the earthquake that last 16th of April shook the Ecuadorian coast, ORU Fogar has strived to collaborate in the initiatives related to the recovery of the country and its affected regions. The main initiative is the house reconstruction project driven by the President of our organisation, Paúl Carrasco, who is also Prefect of the Ecuadorian Province of Azuay. 

With a magnitud of 7.8 on the Richter scale, the quake and numerous aftershocks caused 655 deaths, 63 missing people, 16,601 injured and 25,629 displaced persons, according to a report from the Secretariat for Risk Management, Ecuador, on the 24th April. More than 6,600 houses were destroyed and damages amounted to 3,000 million dollars.

Property restitution is precisely one of the urgent needs, so that the evacuated local population can return to their homes as soon as possible. The project aims at reconstructing 350 houses destroyed in the Department of Manabí, the most affected by the catastrophe. The implementation of the project requires international collaboration and, in the name of ORU Fogar, he is seeking funds and all sorts of material, technical and intellectual support.  
 

Humanitarian help from all over the globe

Furthermore, many of the regional governments that make up our organisation have taken action to help Ecuador. The Spanish autonomous communities, such as the Basque Country, Catalonia Andalucía and Extremadura, have put in place their own humanitarian aid and emergency mechanisms and they have conveyed their help through ACNUR, Red Cross and other NGO’s active in Ecuador. Catalonia, for example, has sent 150 shelters through Red Cross, which allowed to temporarily re-house more than 900 people.  

The Spanish autonomies have also expressed their will to maintain support once the emergency has passed. President Carrasco has recognised the work done by these organisations, which is contributing greatly to alleviate the immediate consequences of the catastrophe.