HIGHLIGHTS
GoE leads emergency response activities, providing food, power, supplies, and water
USAID/OFDA supports OCHA humanitarian coordination and information management activities
USAID/FFP assesses food security in earthquake-affected areas
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
The Government of Ecuador (GoE) reports that the April 16 earthquake has resulted in 660 deaths and injured approximately 4,600 people. The earthquake also damaged or destroyed an estimated 9,740 buildings, including more than 720 schools, as well as electrical, telecommunications, and transportation infrastructure. Humanitarian actors, including USAID/OFDA disaster experts, continue to assess damages and identify humanitarian needs in earthquake-affected areas.
The GoE is leading disaster response activities, including rehabilitating roads and power infrastructure damaged by the earthquake and distributing food, relief commodities, and water. As of April 30, the GoE had delivered approximately 300,000 liters of water, more than 280,000 emergency food kits, 950 hygiene promotion kits, and 600 sets of clothing to affected populations in Esmeraldas and Manabí—Ecuador’s two hardest-hit provinces. The GoE has also deployed an estimated 14,400 armed forces, 8,800 national police, and 200 firefighters, as well as 9,550 registered volunteers, to assist with the response.
As of May 3, the U.S. Government (USG) has provided nearly $3 million for relief efforts in Ecuador. The funding is supporting the provision of emergency food assistance and relief commodities and logistics operations, as well as health and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) interventions, in earthquake-affected areas. USAID/OFDA and USAID/FFP staff in Ecuador are assessing the need for additional support.
To date, other international donors have contributed approximately $3.7 million in humanitarian funding for Ecuador, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Financial Tracking Service (FTS).