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El Ciudadano

Original article: “Fue un milagro que sobreviviéramos”: miles de familias venezolanas luchan por reconstruir sus vidas en refugios tras los terremotos

Caracas.- «Surviving was a miracle», stated Ariadna Albornoz, who, alongside her family, managed to escape after their home collapsed following the two earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 that struck Venezuela on Wednesday, June 24.

According to the latest reports from authorities in the Caribbean nation, the death toll exceeds 1,900 people, with over 10,000 injured and approximately 16,000 left homeless.

In response to this emergency, numerous facilities in Caracas have been transformed into aid distribution centers and temporary camps for those affected.

El Ciudadano visited the Ali Primera Park, located in the Catia parish, where over 6,000 people have been received and attended, from various sectors of the capital and the coastal state of La Guaira, which experienced the strongest impacts of the quakes, with more than 100 buildings reported as completely collapsed so far.

The area, situated 40 minutes from Caracas, has been declared a disaster zone. Ongoing rescue operations are being carried out by Venezuelan officials, volunteers, and highly trained international teams that have arrived in the Caribbean nation.

Other states, such as Miranda, Aragua, Carabobo, and Falcón, also faced collapses and severe structural damage.

At the entrance and inside the park, lists of names of the women, men, girls, and boys who have entered this center are posted so that their families can locate them. Additionally, photographs of those still missing are displayed.

Community solidarity has led to the collection of a large quantity of medications, clothing, footwear, drinking water, hygiene products, and non-perishable food supplies, all visible as one enters the facility.

The supplies received are categorized and distributed internally, while another portion is sent to La Guaira.

«We are grateful to be alive and we will rise again»

The management of this camp involves a joint effort between the government, social organizations, and civil society, which has enabled the provision of comprehensive medical and psychological care to families.

«We have been taken care of, we have food, we are safe, and we are grateful to God for being alive,» stated Ariadna, who shared that she and her family survived the earthquake, but their home, located in the Catia La Mar area, was «completely buried.»

«My husband, my eldest daughter, my two young children, and I ran for our lives, scared but determined to survive, and after running for a while, we saw a truck that stopped and brought us here. That’s why I say it was a miracle that we survived,» she affirmed.

This 36-year-old mother has faced tragedy before, having survived the floods in Vargas state (now La Guaira) back in December 1999 when she was just a child.

«We lost everything then too, but we managed to get back on our feet and we will do it again. We Guairenos are like that,» she remarked.

For Ariadna and her family, the priority is to rebuild their lives after the earthquakes.

«We have to move forward; I don’t know how, but we will. We will rise again», she emphasized.

What is needed in the shelters set up because of the earthquakes?

Camp coordinators informed El Ciudadano that although community solidarity has enabled supplies and aid to reach Ali Primera Park, there is a significant need for mattresses, mats, and tents to accommodate the affected individuals who continue to arrive daily.

Additionally, they need medications, especially antibiotics, alcohol, bandages, gauze, vitamins, hygiene products, cleaning supplies, as well as prepared foods for families sheltered in this facility and for those staying in the 14 shelters established in La Guaira.

«While there is life, there is hope»

During the visit to Ali Primera Park, this publication also noted the presence of many pregnant women, some nearing 8 months of gestation, as well as babies who need medications, supplements, and baby formulas to ensure their well-being.

«I am due to give birth in a few weeks and I need to have a cesarean section,» said Anabel Silva, who is in a tent with her husband and three small children.

«It’s hard to lose everything, to witness so much tragedy, so many deaths, so many injured, but as long as there is life, there is hope for recovery,» she stated.

La entrada «Surviving Was a Miracle»: Thousands of Venezuelan Families Struggle to Rebuild Their Lives in Shelters After Earthquakes se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.