La Guaira residents live in fear, sleep outside homes a month after earthquakes

One month after a series of powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela's La Guaira state, residents are still living with pervasive fear, with some opting to sleep outdoors rather than in their damaged homes. The tremors, which registered magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, caused widespread destruction and loss of life.

Mervin Tera, a 44-year-old hairdresser from the La Lucha sector in Urimare parish, described the lingering anxiety. "It hasn't been overcome, a lot of fear, a lot of expectations. What will become of us? Today they tell us one thing, tomorrow another, people are still living with nerves, people are still sleeping in tents," he told EFE news agency.

“

It hasn't been overcome, a lot of fear, a lot of expectations. What will become of us? Today they tell us one thing, tomorrow another, people are still living with nerves, people are still sleeping in tents.

In Tera's neighborhood, nine residents perished in the earthquakes. The community gathered to hold a Rosary service in memory of the deceased, seeking solace and praying for their eternal rest. "That's why today, in a way, the neighbors gathered to pray to the Virgin Mary for relief and eternal rest," Tera added.

“

That's why today, in a way, the neighbors gathered to pray to the Virgin Mary for relief and eternal rest.

He recalled the shock of the event, which occurred during the San Juan Bautista festivities. "For us it was something unexpected, besides no one expected it, that nature would surprise us in such a way that it took many loved ones, where there was a lot of damage to houses, many injured who have not yet healed their spiritual or physical wounds," he said.

Many in the sector are displaced, with a nearby pharmacy converted into a temporary shelter with support from the state oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela (Pdvsa). Jesús Velásquez, who lost his eldest daughter, a cousin, an uncle, and several neighbors, expressed gratitude for international aid, including contributions from El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele and other Venezuelans. He appealed for strength to cope with his profound grief.

“

For us it was something unexpected, besides no one expected it, that nature would surprise us in such a way that it took many loved ones, where there was a lot of damage to houses, many injured who have not yet healed their spiritual or physical wounds.

La Guaira was the most affected state, initially declared a disaster zone and later militarized. The latest official figures report 5,546 deaths, 16,740 injuries, and approximately 18,000 people left homeless by the disaster.

“

Only I ask that you give me strength, to my eldest daughter, give me a lot of strength, my cousin, my uncle, that they give us strength to continue moving forward, continue enduring this, continue enduring this great pain that everything left.