Erick Amaya was on a Zoom call with a support group in Colombia on Monday when a 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit his home country, killing more than 100 people and damaging hundreds of buildings. “There were about 20 of us in the meeting, and we were shocked when one member’s son told us that t he seismic alert had gone off,” said Amaya, who owns the design shop Academy D-Signs at 836 Foxon Road in East Haven. Amaya said he panicked and immediately tried to reach his family, who live in Buenaventura, Colombia. His father and mother were home when the earthquake hit, and the two of them, along with other elderly neighbors, positioned themselves in the doorway of his parents’ house and held onto each other, hoping for the best. In an interview on Thursday, Amaya said he wanted to turn that fear into action. Since Monday, Amaya, along with other Colombian and Hispanic business owners from across Connecticut, have been collecting donations to help those affected by the earthquake. He said they’re also striving to help communities and cities that Amaya said have been abandoned by the Colombian government. “I don’t want all these donations to go to one concentrated place,” he said. “I want all of this to go to Indigenous areas and to Black communities, since my father lives close to them.” His father, Jorge Amaya, is the one distributing donations of clothing, shoes, and personal hygiene items in Chocó from his truck. This isn’t the first time Amaya has organized this kind of large-scale donation effort. When the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck Venezuela on June 24, Amaya donated shoes and large amounts of clothing to those in need. However, much of the clothing went undonated, so he decided to send it instead to those most in need in Colombia. Sites like Parchados Sports Bar in Bridgeport, the Condor Express shipping company in Hamden, and other locations in West Haven have also been collecting donations. All of these donations are being shipped by various transportation and multiservice companies, including Zai Cargo and Cima, bound for Queens, New York, this Saturday at 7 a.m. In addition to canned goods, Amaya said hot meals — like chicken rice — are being organized for rescue workers and displaced families. Amaya and other organizers spent a total of $700 at Costco on donations alone. Amaya said that he grew up in Cali, Colombia, and that he came to the U.S. in 2018. He opened his business in 2020. While Amaya’s business is located in East Haven, Amaya himself lives in New Haven. He also said that he didn’t really think there was a big Colombian community in Connecticut — until Monday’s earthquake hit. He said this tragedy has inspired Colombians from across Connecticut to come together to gather donations and send aid to the country. Ricardo Ortiz, who works for Amaya, said he felt a lot of fear when he heard the news of the earthquake. “Even though I’m originally from Bogota, some relatives told me the earthquake was felt quite strongly,” Ortiz said. “These donations are the best thing we can do to help those who need it.” Academy D-Signs will continue accepting donations of clothing, shoes, and personal hygiene items, as well as blankets, batteries, sanitary pads, and flashlights, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Amaya and Ricardo Ortiz sort through donations at Academy D-Signs ahead of Saturday’s shipment to Colombia. Volunteers and staff sort and label donation boxes at Academy D-Signs on Thursday. The post Colombian Expat Organizes Earthquake-Relief Effort appeared first on New Haven Independent. ...read more read less