Cali Mayor’s Office Begins Characterization of Families Affected by the Earthquake through the Unified Registry of Families in Emergencies

- Teams from the Risk Management, Housing, and Social Welfare Secretariats are visiting the affected areas to identify and characterize families affected by the earthquake. The process is carried out directly in the field and does not require QR codes, links, or payments.

Santiago de Cali, August 14, 2026

The Mayor’s Office of Santiago de Cali has begun collecting information and characterizing families affected by the earthquake through the Unified Registry of Families in Emergencies (RUFE).

Since Thursday, August 13, teams from the Secretariat of Risk Management, the Secretariat of Housing, and the Secretariat of Social Welfare have been visiting different sectors of the city that have been affected, with the purpose of identifying affected families and gathering information to guide the District Administration’s assistance and response actions through the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD).

Ricardo Peñuela, Secretary of Risk Management, explained that this process is carried out directly in the affected locations and using an official physical form. “Officials visit the homes, verify the reported conditions, and carry out the corresponding characterization of the families,” Peñuela explained.

In addition, the official stated that between yesterday and today (08/14/26), more than 1,000 RUFEs have been consolidated.

An Exclusively Institutional Process

The Cali Mayor’s Office is calling on citizens to remain alert to false information related to this process.

Characterization through the RUFE is not carried out through QR codes, digital forms, links sent via social media, or messaging applications. Families are also not asked for money, goods, or any type of compensation to access the characterization process.

The only teams authorized to carry out this information-gathering process are the officials and technical teams from the district entities assigned to this task.

In case of any questions, citizens should consult exclusively the official channels of the Mayor’s Office of Santiago de Cali.

Greater Technical Capacity for Assessing the Impact

As part of strengthening the capacity to respond to the emergency, 40 professionals from Medellín also arrived in Cali, including structural engineers and architects, who joined the assessment and technical support efforts in the affected areas.

Paula Andrea Palacios, director of the Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley, stated that “all of our capabilities are intended to provide support so that Risk Management can have clear information on affected homes and make decisions regarding demolitions, which will be a subsequent step.”

These professionals are supporting the district teams in identifying the conditions of buildings and assessing possible risks associated with the damage caused by the earthquake.

The District Administration continues to work in a coordinated manner to consolidate information on affected families, strengthen the assessment of conditions in the field, and guide assistance actions according to the needs identified.

The Cali Mayor’s Office reiterates that official information regarding the emergency and assistance processes will be communicated exclusively through its institutional channels.

Please Note:

- RUFE characterization is carried out directly by officials and technical teams from the Mayor’s Office.

The process is carried out using a physical form.

- No QR code or digital form is required for RUFE characterization.

- No money, goods, or any type of compensation is requested.

- If a person presents themselves as an official and you have doubts about their identity, always verify the information through the official channels.

Risk Management Communications

Communications Team

Office of the Mayor of Cali