Sobrevivió al maremoto de 1979 y al terremoto de 2026: Yamileth rompió un silencio de 47 años

For nearly 47 years, Yamilet Cortés silently kept one of the darkest nights of her life to herself. As a young girl, she survived the Tumaco earthquake and tsunami of December 12, 1979, a tragedy that forever marked the Colombian Pacific coast. She remembers the helping hand of a teacher, the assistance of a boatman, and a canoe that appeared when they needed it most. She also remembers the most painful part: people who, while trying to escape, were left behind at sea. Yamilet survived, but that fear stayed with her for much of her life. The earthquake of August 10, 2026, in Colombia brought back those memories. This time she felt the earth move again, but she also discovered something different: thousands of people taking to the streets, removing rubble, helping strangers, and risking their lives to save others. Then she understood that, just as that little girl had been saved in 1979 by people who extended their helping hand, decades later she was witnessing that same solidarity being repeated in Cali. The earthquake didn't just shake the earth. In Yamilet, it stirred up a story that had remained buried for almost half a century, a story she decided to tell today in order to heal. A story of survival, trauma, memory, and solidarity after the earthquake in Colombia. Interview: Wilson Barco