A 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck Colombia last month left over 1.5 million people without access to basic services such as water, electricity, and cellular communication. In the wake of the disaster, civilians mobilized quickly, establishing numerous aid distribution points in homes, cafes, universities, churches, gyms, and even a brewery across the affected regions. However, the coordination of relief efforts was initially chaotic, with some locations running short on essential supplies while others suffered mismatches in available aid.
Sebastián Mejía, who opened three donation centers in his Pereira coffee shops, acknowledged the disorganization and reached out to a technology entrepreneur, Felipe Restrepo Lebrun, for assistance in creating a tool to better manage relief efforts. Despite ongoing connectivity challenges caused by the quake, Restrepo Lebrun developed a website within hours that used artificial intelligence to map donation sites and streamline aid distribution. The site, initially called Ayudas Pereira and later renamed alluda.online to serve a broader area, allowed drop-off points to list available supplies and enabled users to request or offer goods and services, such as transport.
Restrepo Lebrun, a former volunteer who helped after a 1999 earthquake in Colombia, was unable to assist physically this time due to severe arthritis but contributed by leveraging AI tools remotely. His work was supported by brothers Miguel and Juan Camilo Sierra, who promoted the platform on social media, helping it reach users across 25 cities and towns. Within three days of the earthquake, over 100 donation points had been registered on the website, which experienced heavy traffic and some technical issues amid ongoing power and internet outages.
Volunteers, including those at the Bajo Cuerda brewery—one of the nearly 200 mapped aid points—reported receiving large shipments of donations via box trucks, pickups, tractor-trailers, and even an airplane. The grassroots efforts sought to address significant gaps left by what many described as a slow and bureaucratic government response. Daniel Zuluaga, a volunteer at Bajo Cuerda, emphasized the inclusive approach of aid, noting assistance was provided even to those without official proof of damage, recognizing the widespread hardships caused by the quake.
The earthquake damaged more than 198,000 homes, with over 37,000 requiring complete reconstruction, according to Colombia’s National Unit for Disaster Risk Management. The government faced criticism for the perceived slowness of its response, the housing minister’s decision to vacation shortly after the disaster, and limiting search-and-rescue teams to four allied countries. Officials denied any political motivation behind these decisions, and the housing minister apologized, affirming his continued work during his time away.
As formal aid started reaching the region, many grassroots donation sites reported a slowdown or cessation of their activities. Local authorities, including Diana Ramírez, Risaralda’s disaster management coordinator, expressed optimism about integrating technological solutions like alluda.online with official disaster response frameworks.
Looking ahead, Restrepo Lebrun plans to release the website’s code publicly, enabling its use in future natural disasters worldwide. The platform represents a growing trend of leveraging AI and community engagement to fill urgent needs during crisis situations.