Chacao Mayor's Office repairs buildings damaged by earthquakes, prioritizing seniors

Technical teams from the Chacao Mayor's Office worked Saturday on inspections, stabilization, and shoring up several buildings in Bello Campo and Los Palos Grandes. This effort is part of a municipal plan, "We are working for you to return home," which prioritizes residents over 65 whose homes were classified with a yellow or red tag following earthquakes on June 24.

Chacao Mayor Gustavo Duque detailed the work on buildings Trébol A and B, and the Claudia area in Bello Campo. His teams also intervened in the Grand Palace in Los Palos Grandes, where engineers worked to stabilize the structure. Duque also reported deployments at the Floral building in El Dorado and the Roxul building in Los Palos Grandes. He assured residents of the Manaure building in El Dorado that the municipality is providing direct support and they are "not alone" as work continues house by house.

Duque emphasized the municipal administration's commitment to repairing homes damaged by the recent seismic events, promising a response based on presence and concrete results. He reminded residents that the initial phase of the plan focuses on older adults with critically damaged properties, asking for understanding from those not yet on the intervention schedule. The Mayor's Office will announce subsequent buildings to be addressed as goals are met.

Structural engineer Kit Miyamoto previously stated that the recovery of buildings with red tags in Chacao should occur in two stages. The first phase should focus on restoring structures to their pre-earthquake condition, and a second phase should reinforce them against future seismic events. "We saw several damaged buildings with the city's engineers. Some had serious damage and others only minor damage. But we know they can be restored to good condition quite quickly," Miyamoto said. "There will be two phases: the first is to return the buildings to the state they were in before, or even better. The second phase will be to reinforce them so they face even less risk in the future. That is the approach that should be adopted," he added.