Impact
On 16 April, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake (Richter scale) struck coastal areas in north-west Ecudaor, its epicentre located close to the town of Muisne and 170km northwest of the capital Quito. Although the epicentre was situated in a remote rural area, several towns of costal provinces are affected. More than 300 aftershocks have been registered to date.
The most affected areas are the provinces of Manabi, Esmeraldas, Santa Elena, Guayas, Santo Domingo and Los Ríos, for which the Government has declared a “state of emergency”. Manibi is the worst affected province; one of its cantons – Pedernales (population 55,000) – has been declared a “disaster zone” to which access is limited.
As of 21 April, 587 people are reported dead, 155 are missing and 8,340 are injured. More than 1,125 buildings are destroyed and more than 829 are damaged, including 281 schools. Additionally, 25,376 are in collective shelters. Many roads, bridges and other key infrastructure were damaged resulting in logistics and communications challenges in some areas. Government and international teams are currently assessing the situation and will reach most of the affected areas within the coming days; thus, official figures on impact and damage are expected to rise.
It is estimated that approximately 720,000 people have suffered some effect by the earthquake and require assistance, out of over 7 million people living in the six affected provinces.
Government Response
The Government of Ecuador is providing and coordinating comprehensive response efforts. As of 21 April, it has deployed to the affected areas 882 firefighters, over 4,900 police and nearly 10,000 military personnel, and 21 medical response teams. Additionally, logistical assets such as helicopters and trucks; and key supplies such as water purification units, shelter kits, food rations, and hygiene and WASH kits have also been deployed.
The Government has further activated a line of credit for US$600 million for recovery and reconstruction efforts. Given the extent of the damage, the Government on 16 April requested international support for needs assessment and response coordination, including the medical response.
International Support
The United Nations (UN) is providing complementary support to Government relief efforts, deploying on 17 April a UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination Team (UNDAC) to support on-site coordination in the towns of Manta, Porto Viejo, Pedernales and Quito. In close coordination with the National Disaster Management Agency (Secretaria de Gestión del Riesgo, SGR) and the UN-managed Secretariat for the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG), a number of Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams have deployed, including from Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, El Salvador, Mexico, Peru, Spain, and Venezuela.
Several Member States, the UN agencies, IFRC and international non-governmental organizations have activitated internal emergency funding and surge mechanisms, and have started to provide in-kind supplies and other forms of assistance.
Key Needs
Initial needs and damage assessments by the Government and humanitarian partners, with UNDAC support, are ongoing. Preliminary information indicates immediate needs for safe water provision, health assistance, shelter kits and temporary shelter solutions, food assistance, protection, emergency education, as well as debris removal to support early recovery efforts. Key basic services will need to be re-established in all affected areas, including electricity, water provision and telecommunications. Safe debris removal of damaged and destroyed infrastructure, including homes, is required to improve access and allow people to find safe housing solutions. There is also a need for logistics support, particularly storage management and transport coordination.