SITUATION UPDATE
Three weeks after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck off the western coast of Ecuador, International Medical Corps’ emergency response team (ERT) remains on the ground in Manabí—one of the most affected provinces—to support relief efforts led by Ecuadorian government. Government and humanitarian assessments of the earthquake’s impact indicate that an estimated 720,000 people are in need of humanitarian assistance across the six affected provinces for which the Government of Ecuador declared a state of emergency. Approximately 7,000 buildings were destroyed across affected communities, the majority in Manabí. More than 33,000 people have sought shelter in official camps managed by Ecuador’s Ministry of Economic and Social Inclusion (MIES); spontaneous settlements; or with family and friends as of May 6. The number of displacement sites overall remains unclear, and the relief community is currently mapping the sites to enhance the understanding of the scale of humanitarian needs. In Manabí, the ERT observed that earthquake-affected residents are beginning to return to the severely damaged communities of Pedernales and Jama to reestablish their presence and access markets, and are adding to the occupancy of displacement sites in the area.
With major roads largely cleared and infrastructure repairs underway, deliveries of relief commodities and other humanitarian aid are reaching urban centers in affected cantons. The government has restored most utilities and services; in Manabí, however, water supply coverage in the highly affected towns of Chone and Manta remains below capacity, as does electrical power coverage in Jama and Pedernales. To fill gaps in water system coverage, the government has dispatched mobile treatment plants, in addition to conducting daily water trucking to affected
communities and displacement sites. The government reports that approximately 800 technicians continue to repair electrical equipment and restore power. In the health sector, Ecuador’s Ministry of Public Health has initiated a response plan that includes disease surveillance in displacement sites, vaccination, distribution of mosquito nets, and other interventions to mitigate the outbreak of diseases.
Although robust response and recovery efforts are ongoing, assistance to people in more remote communities is reportedly moving more slowly. From Jama to Pedernales, returning families are establishing new spontaneous settlements, and the numbers of displaced persons in authorized camps has slightly increased in the past week. Many of the displaced are from rural villages with limited access to services, particularly in the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sector, where sufficient access to quality water and sanitation services has been affected by the earthquake. Key needs remain in these and other affected areas, including access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene assistance, shelter support, and relief supplies.