Venezuela is struggling to recover from two back-to-back earthquakes of magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 that struck on June 24. Andreina Velasquez, who lives on the sixth floor of an apartment building in the coastal town of Catia la Mar in La Guaira state, north of the capital Caracas, survived because she was not home during the quakes.
Velasquez said she had left a few hours before the earthquake to get keys made and felt the first tremor on the beach. The concrete floors of her apartment building had collapsed like a house of cards. She described one neighbor as a retired, quiet man and another as a woman who had recently moved in with her daughter, noting they were happy with their sea views but were caught in the disaster.
According to data from Venezuela's National Assembly, at least 2,295 people died and more than 11,000 were injured in the twin earthquakes. The United Nations warned that the death toll could reach 10,000. Hospitals in the region are operating well beyond capacity, while federal government aid has been slow to reach the hardest-hit areas.
In Catia la Mar, federal rescue teams arrived three days after the earthquake, on Sunday, and some parts of La Guaira have yet to receive any assistance.
'The state was not the first responder, it was the last'
Carolina Jimenez, president of the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), told Al Jazeera that the state's absence during the crisis was notable. 'In any other country, the state would be the first responder. In Venezuela, the state was the last responder,' she said.
Jimenez emphasized that aid and rescue efforts are being carried out largely by citizens, civil society organizations, and volunteers.
Masks and courage: Volunteers on the ground
Still coping with the pain of losing loved ones, Velasquez began helping by distributing masks to passersby to protect them from the dust and odor rising from the rubble. 'I'm here every day. Some people came to help but they don't have helmets, gloves, masks. That's why I'm helping,' she said.
Residents continue to clear debris and provide first aid to the injured despite inadequate equipment. Officials note that anger is growing due to the slow functioning of state mechanisms, while the efforts of volunteers remain the only hope for survivors.
