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Quakes Crush Housing Mission
On Wednesday evening, Venezuela’s northern coast was struck by two earthquakes, a 7.2-magnitude foreshock followed 39 seconds later by a 7.5-magnitude mainshock, reducing dozens of buildings across Caracas, Trujillo, Carabobo, Aragua and La Guaira to rubble.
“How life is in Chávez's 'houses' — Author: Daniel Pardo — Byline: BBC Mundo, Caracas — Publication date The kitchen faucet of Deris Reyes's sink is installed backward: the tube comes out on the side where you stand, not from the wall side”
In La Guaira, the Washington Post reported that the earthquakes “leveled three of the four buildings,” destroying at least 960 apartments at a housing mission complex in the Caraballeda neighborhood.
The Washington Post said at least 1,430 people were confirmed dead and 3,238 injured in the 7.2-magnitude and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes centered some 100 miles west of Caracas, while Acting President Delcy Rodriguez said the figures on Saturday.
The AP report described rescue efforts three days after the quakes, with authorities announcing Friday night they would block access to La Guaira and require official permits as chaos and traffic hampered searches.
In the same AP account, Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said on state television Saturday that more than 14,000 members of the military and police were patrolling the area around the epicenter.
Permits, Missing, and Criticism
As search efforts continued in La Guaira, the AP said authorities would block access to the epicenter and that anyone who wanted to enter would have to seek official permits, but provided few details about who would be allowed in.
The AP also quoted Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly, saying, “Each person saved is a miracle,” as people dug through rubble with time running out to find survivors.
The Washington Post described the rescue effort at the housing mission in the Caraballeda neighborhood as led by local emergency responders, volunteers and neighbors without the heavy machinery needed to tear into the ruins.
In the Washington Post’s account, interim president Delcy Rodriguez asked the private sector to provide construction machinery, and Venezuelan officials said the earthquakes centered some 100 miles west of Caracas.
The World Socialist Web Site reported that Acting President Delcy Rodriguez provided the latest numbers, saying the confirmed death toll had risen to 188 people and 1,520 others were injured.
What’s at Risk Next
The Washington Post said blazes erupted amid the wreckage but that no firefighters arrived to extinguish them, adding that most of the fire trucks in La Guaira were inoperable before the earthquakes.
“By REGINA GARCIA CANO, JUAN PABLO ARRAEZ and MEGAN JANETSKY LA GUAIRA, Venezuela (AP) — The situation has grown more desperate by the hour in Venezuela as people dig through the rubble of collapsed homes and apartment buildings three days after the devastating one-two punch of 7”
It also reported that the deepest economic collapse documented outside wartime left the country ill-equipped to respond, and that Interim president Delcy Rodriguez asked the private sector to provide construction machinery.
The AP said aid agencies considered the first 48 to 72 hours a crucial time frame to retrieve people alive, though that can be extended if there is access to food and water.
In the AP report, the International Organization for Migration said up to 6.76 million people could be affected, including some 2 million in Caracas alone, as people continued to sleep on the street.
The Washington Post tied the housing mission’s destruction to the broader rebuilding record, saying the government launched studies and updated laws and construction codes to prepare for the next natural disaster, but that those laws and codes were only loosely followed and enforced.
