“I Don’t Want to Return to La Guaira”: Survivors’ Lives After the Earthquakes

Days after devastating earthquakes struck Venezuela on June 24, survivors continue to arrive at Caracas hospitals, grappling with physical and psychological trauma amidst lingering uncertainty. While the initial overwhelming rush of emergencies has subsided at facilities like the Dr. Miguel Pérez Carreño Hospital and the Periférico de Catia, the path to recovery remains fraught with challenges.

Yohanna Núñez arrived at the Dr. Miguel Pérez Carreño Hospital with her son and mother, having been transferred from La Guaira. Her son, who had helped rescue his twin during the tremors, collapsed and began convulsing. The family's home in the Brisas del Aeropuerto housing complex near Simón Bolívar International Airport was damaged.

"That day we were very calm, and suddenly, when everything started, my children and I began to scream and we left the building. One of my sons grabbed my youngest child and we went down. Bricks and debris fell on us, but we managed to get out. When he arrived, he fainted and since then his health has complicated," Núñez recalled.

Initially treated at the Pariata hospital, her son was subsequently moved to Clínica Alfa and then the Military Hospital before being returned. Facing limited options, the family slept in a makeshift camp outside their damaged residential complex. The situation improved when paramedics from other regions intervened, assessed his critical condition, and arranged an ambulance transfer.

"He has an inflamed brain and is immobilized; he moves, but he cannot stand, he looks like a puppet," his grandmother added. "He hasn't responded, sometimes he speaks and then he convulses again. He's not the same person he was before," Núñez expressed, visibly distressed, as her mother offered words of encouragement. Her other children are safe in Brisas del Aeropuerto.

"My God! I hope they take care of my son as they should, all those (injured) who come, not just him, but at least don't send me from one place to another," the mother pleaded. Her anxiety intensified upon arrival at the Caracas health center, where her son fell from a stretcher due to inadequate securing, exacerbating his head injury. "He is in very delicate health, and when we arrived, my son fell. We became very nervous because we were already worried about the injury he has in his head. I started screaming. My son is a tall boy, almost two meters tall and corpulent. There was only one stretcher bearer to attend to him, and the others arrived after he had fallen," she stated.

“

Tiene el cerebro inflamado y está inmovilizado, se mueve, pero no se puede parar, parece una marioneta, agrega su abuela, . No ha respondido, a veces habla y después vuelve a convulsionar. Ya no es la misma persona de antes