MIAMI — The Miami-based nonprofit that led disaster relief efforts after earthquakes devastated Venezuela in June is back in action, this time organizing relief for Colombia after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck the western part of the country on Monday.

Global Empowerment Mission (GEM), headquartered in Doral at 1850 NW 84th Ave., is accepting donations and coordinating an emergency response. The organization expects to have response teams on the ground in Colombia by Wednesday. At least 181 people have been confirmed dead in Colombia as of Tuesday.

Colombia is in transition after newly sworn-in president Abelardo de la Espriella took office on Aug. 7. Miami-Dade officials, including Doral Mayor Christi Fraga, said they have been in communication with the new government, which is working with GEM to provide relief, she said at a news conference Tuesday.

“It’s very different in Colombia than it was in Venezuela. Their needs are different. The government is different. They are obviously ready and willing to work with us,” Fraga said.

One point officials repeatedly emphasized was the importance of monetary donations. Many essential products can be purchased in Colombia at a much lower cost than in the U.S., Fraga said. These funds will help deliver assistance quickly while also supporting longer-term recovery, rebuilding and the local economy in affected communities, she added.

“If you’re going to spend $100 on items to purchase, think about donating that because the $100 will go a lot farther if it can be taken to (Colombia),” Fraga said.

GEM has a bank account and funds set up specifically for aid to Colombia, said GEM CEO and founder Michael Capponi. To donate to the Colombia relief fund, please visit https://www.globalempowermentmission.org/mission/colombia-earthquake/.

Capponi, who spent 27 days in Venezuela following the earthquakes, said GEM was the largest single aid supplier to Venezuela, and that more than half of all international travel flown to Venezuela was conducted by GEM. Since the June earthquakes in Venezuela, GEM has collected $75 million worth of aid.

“I think the destruction is unsurpassable,” Capponi said of Venezuela. 6,300 people have been confirmed dead in Venezuela, but there are tens of thousands still reported missing.

For weeks, GEM headquarters were packed with volunteers sorting physical donations for Venezuela, but Capponi once again emphasized the importance of monetary donations.

A typical volunteer might spend $100 at a grocery store or Target on a small amount of food, which then has to be transported by chartered plane, he said. The cost of purchasing and shipping those goods from the U.S. can far exceed the cost of buying them locally in Colombia, where many cities, including Cali, still have available supplies. The goal is to use cash donations to purchase food locally and focus physical donations on essential items that are not readily available in-country.

Items currently being prioritized for donation and that can be dropped off at GEM headquarters in Doral include tents, tarps, sleeping bags, blankets and hygiene products. Donations can be made Monday-Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

GEM LATAM is on the ground in Colombia assessing immediate needs and coordinating with local partners and authorities to determine where critical humanitarian assistance is needed most, Capponi said. GEM is also partnering with existing organizations in Colombia. Those organizations have hundreds, if not thousands, of volunteers who can pack and assemble boxes, similar to the assembly line at GEM. By utilizing existing infrastructure in communities across Colombia, they can efficiently pack and distribute aid locally.

Capponi is set to fly to Colombia on Tuesday, landing in Medellín and traveling through the country with stops in Pereira, El Cairo, El Águila and Cali, where he will depart Colombia.

The earthquake was centered near San José del Palmar in Colombia’s Chocó region, approximately 250 miles west of Bogotá. A magnitude 5.0 aftershock followed less than an hour later, according to GEM.

Capponi said he is unsure if they will be able to enter Chocó, as they would need a permission to enter in a military helicopter for safety concerns.

Capponi also said this relief mission has included much closer communication with the government. He introduced Jorge Hané, 78, as a representative of the Colombian government. Hané, who was born in Barranquilla, Colombia, but has lived in the United States for nearly 50 years, said he was speaking on behalf of the Colombian government, with which he said he has been in communication, including the president, vice president and State Department.

“I’m here just to convey to everybody in South Florida ... please feel free and safe to donate and help through GEM,” Hané said.

Volunteers in action

By Tuesday, GEM’s headquarters in Doral were filled with dozens of volunteers sorting and packing donations.

Camila Hoyos Ospina, 18, said she felt “helpless” after seeing news of the earthquakes in Colombia, where her parents are from, and decided to volunteer to help in any way she could.

Hoyos Ospina said her family in Colombia is safe, but some members have been displaced due to damage to their homes.

It was her first time at GEM, and she said, “It is very empowering just to be able to see how the community comes to help out.”

“We are calling on the diaspora community of South Florida and the United States to you know come together and once again you know do what we did for Venezuela for Colombia,” Capponi said.

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