• Action Against Hunger has deployed a first-responder team, comprised of an emergency logistician and emergency water and sanitation experts, departing for Ecuador from our base in southern Colombia 
• We are mobilizing an additional emergency team from our headquarter office in Madrid that includes an emergency food security specialist, water and sanitation experts, and emergency logistics staff.
• We are sending emergency relief supplies  to support our response from Action Against Hunger’s base in Colombia.

In response to initial reports of damage caused by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake on the coast of Ecuador, Action Against Hunger is mobilizing emergency teams to respond immediately. The disaster has already caused the deaths of an estimated 233 people and injured 600 others, according to early reports from the Government of Ecuador's Risk Management Secretariat.

Because of our active programs and presence in Colombia, we were able to deploy an expert humanitarian team who will be on the ground in Ecuador within hours from their base in Nariño, in Southern Colombia. This first responder team includes an emergency water and sanitation specialist and a logistics specialist. 

Tonight, we are deploying an additional emergency team with expertise in food security, water and sanitation, and logistics from our headquarter office in Madrid. To support rapid interventions, we are organizing the shipment of emergency supplies and relief items from our stocks in Colombia.

Our immediate priorities are to assess the most urgent needs of affected communities and to deliver rapid assistance to families in crisis. Please stay tuned to learn more about our response to this disaster as more information becomes available.

For U.S. media requests, please contact:

Action Against Hunger USA
Elizabeth Wright: 917.803.1139, ewright@actionagainsthunger.org