The Venezuelan population has turned to La Guaira, the epicenter of a double earthquake that has left a landscape of devastation. The catastrophe has caused, at least, 1,450 dead and 3,150 injured and, while the area begins to slowly recover some essential services, many of its inhabitants have sought refuge in Caracas. With the belongings they managed to rescue before their homes collapsed, hundreds of families now survive outdoors in squares, parks and public spaces in the capital.
“The city is receiving thousands of families, a lot of people who have been left homeless, and who are literally on the street. Many came out with what they were wearing. All those people are literally camping wherever they can. Squares, schools, shelters, parks have been set up, as if it were the Ciutadella,” a Catalan woman who lives in Caracas with her family and who prefers to preserve her identity explains to EL PERIÓDICO. “The dimension of the tragedy is such that aid, both international and from NGOs, arrives in dribs and drabs, and is totally insufficient.“he adds.
According to his story, during the first hours after the earthquake the neighbors themselves took on the rescue work in the absence of sufficient resources. “The first 30 or 36 hours All those people were left very alone and very isolated, with neighbors trying to move stones and get people out.. After that, the entire population turned to help,” he says.
Desolation in La Guaira
Although in recent days international rescue teams have joined the rescue efforts, the magnitude of the disaster in La Guaira complicates any operation. With tens of thousands still missingthe hope of finding survivors has faded as the hours have passed. “After four days, I think we entered another stage, which is to assume that The people who have been buried will no longer come out. Until now it was a desperate fight for someone to listen to you, for the machinery to reach your building and for the rescuers to arrive. But There are so many buildings and so few resources that it is like finding a needle in a haystack“, he laments.
Before the disaster, two different realities coexisted in the most affected area. “La Guaira is a coastal town that is about half an hour from the city. It would be, in parallel, like our Castelldefels or Sitges. many people have second homesbut there is also many public housing, with those huge buildings where 400 or 500 humble people live“, he says. It is precisely these large residential blocks that have suffered the most damage and, in many cases, have been reduced to rubble.
On the other hand, the Venezuelan capital has not suffered the same impact. Beyond some material damage to buildings, Caracas maintains relative normalityalthough marked by the tragedy that is experienced a few kilometers away. “Supermarkets are open, pharmacies are open. It’s a bit of a strange feeling. “Everyone is on alert,” says the Catalan woman living in Caracas.
The absence of local authorities
After the first days of spontaneous response, in which thousands of citizens traveled to the affected area with food, medicine and basic necessities, the people of Caracas continue to organize aid initiatives. “All the supermarkets and all the pharmacies in the city were emptied. The people emptied everything and each one took their car and went down there.“says the interviewee.
“All this must be seen from the perspective that it is a very deteriorated country. There are communication routes and buildings that have already deteriorated. There are very few staff and no public resources. Everything is done a little improvised, thanks to private initiative“, he assures.
Furthermore, he regrets the absence of local authorities in rescue tasks. “No military has been seen, no tanks have been seen, no machinery has been seen, The deployment of the Government has not been seen anywhere. “It’s the people helping the people.”he assures.
Subscribe to continue reading
