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Ricardo Rubio – Europa Press – Archive
President Guillermo Lasso visited a sector of the province of Esmeraldas on Monday that was shaken last Saturday by a strong earthquake of magnitude 6, which caused the death of one person, damaged nearly 200 homes and affected more than 800 people.
Lasso announced that the Ministry of Social Economic Inclusion (MIES) is carrying out a census of the affected areas to give the affected families a “disaster bonus”, which amounts to 270 dollars for each family nucleus.
He also pointed out that the Ministry of Housing will deliver a bonus of up to 7,500 dollars for the restoration of homes, and another of 15,000 for the construction of new ones for families who lost everything.
From Esmeraldas.
We continue in the territory, touring Ecuador and helping the people who need us most. pic.twitter.com/rjNHMatIx2
— Guillermo Lasso (@LassoGuillermo) March 29, 2022
Lasso indicated that the preliminary investments for economic aid to attend to the emergency generated by the earthquake amount to 2.5 million dollars.
According to the Ecuadorian authorities, the earthquake that occurred near the city of Esmeraldas, the provincial capital, affected 196 homes in that city, of which 42 were completely destroyed, in addition to six health centers and six schools.
A total of 804 people were affected, one person was injured and another died of a heart attack.
The governor (representative of the Executive) of Esmeraldas, Tania Obando, explained that an Emergency Operations Committee will carry out constant surveillance in the 28 neighborhoods and sectors affected by the earthquake.
I wholeheartedly appreciate the work of the inter-institutional teams in Esmeraldas. Their work has been key to supporting people affected by the #earthquake. I will personally take care of monitoring the actions. Our government is in territory with the people! pic.twitter.com/aC98TGS6UN
— Guillermo Lasso (@LassoGuillermo) March 28, 2022
He explained that the so-called “ground zero” is located in the upper neighborhoods of the central part of the city of Esmeraldas.
The National Service for Risk and Emergency Management (SNGRE) reported that a shelter has been set up in a city arena and that two collection centers have been set up to receive humanitarian assistance donations from government entities and private companies.
President Lasso, at the end of his visit to the affected areas, announced that on April 11 it will return to the site to verify compliance with the actions established by the Government within the framework of the assistance plans.