A triple crisis: Earthquake takes a heavy toll on Colombia's impoverished and neglected region

BOGOTA, Colombia -- Ismael Arias was headed to the market when the devastating 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit western Colombia last week, sowing death and destruction. His home region of Choco was the epicenter.Leaving home early that day likely saved his life, he says — the two-story home he had spent years building with his modest wages collapsed during the quake.“The house is completely destroyed,” said the 66-year-old math teacher in Quibdo, the regional capital.At least 312 people were killed by the Aug. 10 quake, according to figures published Wednesday by the central government, and 29,000 homes were destroyed. Recovery will be particularly challenging for Choco, which was already struggling with high poverty rates, poor infrastructure and underfunded health and education services.According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 69,000 people in Choco were affected or displaced by the earthquake — about 10% of its population.The regional government says more than 200 schools were damaged, and poor internet access will make it difficult for children to take online lessons. With around 600,000 inhabitants, mostly Afro-Colombian or Indigenous p...