The Daily Journal. — Chacao Mayor Gustavo Duque said the municipal government will assess the internal damage in apartments affected by the twin earthquakes of June 24 and seek emergency funding from the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
During a radio interview with journalist Shirley Varnagy, Duque said Chacao has about 900 buildings classified as green, meaning they are safe for occupancy. In comparison, 46 buildings are classified red and remain uninhabitable. He also explained that residents can continue living in buildings marked yellow while carrying out minor repairs.
Duque estimated that repairs to buildings classified as red and yellow will cost between $70,000 and $150,000. He said banks and major taxpayers will finance the reconstruction work in exchange for a full exemption from municipal taxes for two years.
The mayor also addressed the collapse of the Petunia building. He said the Topos Aztecas rescue team believes excessive dead load from rigid concrete reinforcements added after the 1967 earthquake caused the structure to fail.
Duque also noted that Chacao has a large older adult population. For that reason, the municipal government chose not to move them into large state-run shelters. Instead, the municipality relocated them to hotels within Chacao through special agreements.
