Earthquake Catastrophe: Survivors in Venezuela Fear for Their Future Amidst Devastation

Cerafín Owaldo, 74, pleads for just five minutes to enter his severely damaged Caracas apartment, where he has lived for 40 years. He desperately wants to retrieve clothes, his credit card, and vital medication for his wife, who suffers from heart problems. However, rescue teams clearing rubble deny him access, citing structural instability after the powerful magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes that struck Venezuela.

Owaldo is now living in a makeshift shelter on a nearby sports field with other displaced residents. His building, though not collapsed, sustained severe structural damage, rendering it unsafe. Four of his neighbors perished in the disaster. Like many survivors, Owaldo faces an uncertain future, questioning how authorities will provide aid and support.

In the San Bernardino district, José Ángel Ascanio and his wife watch as the remains of their collapsed home are cleared. "We are not prepared for such events. They have taken too long, they lack the technology, they lack the machines," Ascanio says, criticizing the rescue efforts. Some of his neighbors were recovered only as deceased. Rescuers work with bare hands, sometimes at great personal risk, to pull people from the debris.

Ascanio survived, but lost all his possessions. "Thank God I could get my wife and parents to safety. But now one asks: What will the help look like? How will the authorities help us?" he asks, visibly distressed. He recounts their efforts to improve their lives, only to be struck by this "twist of fate."

Authorities have reported 250 destroyed or severely damaged residential buildings, but the actual number is likely much higher. Hundreds, possibly thousands, are still missing and feared buried under the rubble. The government's preliminary figures of 235 deaths and over 4,300 injuries are expected to rise significantly given the scale of the catastrophe.