January 25, 1999 Earthquake: Armenia, Calarca, Pereira, Caldas, Huila, Colombia

At least 1,185 people killed, over 700 missing and presumed killed, over 4,750 injured and about 250,000 homeless. The most affected city was Armenia where 907 people were killed and about 60 percent of the buildings were destroyed, including the police and fire stations. About 60 percent of the buildings were destroyed at Calarca and about 50 percent of the houses were destroyed at Pereira. Landslides blocked several roads including the Manizales-Bogota road. Damage occurred in Caldas, Huila, Quindio, Risaralda, Tolima and Valle del Cauca Departments. (reference #1053)

1186 killed, $1857.366 million damage. (reference #1250)

$1800 million damage. While Armenia was a less populated city (290,000 inhabitants as opposed to Pereira's 380,000 inhabitants), the city had clearly been much more affected by the earthquake than Pereira had. Devastation to over 60% of Armenia was evident, with some Sectors of the city, such as the central district, over 90% destroyed. Thousands of people lined the streets in makeshift tents, either having either lost their homes or waiting for their homes to be structurally evaluated. Over 900 people died in the earthquake in the city of Armenia alone. In Pereira, damages were less severe, but upon speaking to city officials and others, we found these individuals felt they had not been "spared" by the effects of the earthquake. In fact, with 45 deaths and approximately 40% of the city's structures affected, Pereira is now facing the after effects

of a more devastating event than the 1995 Calima-Darien earthquake, which caused the city over US $50 million in damages. (reference #1279)