The coastal country hit by earthquakes, Venezuela, is no stranger to tragedy

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In Venezuela’s coastal state of La Guaira, which was hardest hit by Wednesday’s massive twin earthquakes, residents said they spent the night awake, and reported that many people were still trapped under rubble after severe damage to dozens of residential buildings.

“We felt the shock, so to speak, the beginning of the earthquake,” local resident Jose Terraza, 68, told reporters on the ground working on behalf of CNN. “It was very strong… We gathered here and saw all the damage.”

The buildings across from his house in Playa Grande have collapsed, but the building where he lives is still standing. Residents spent the long night outside, carrying with them what possessions they could grab, fearing possible aftershocks.

The screams of family members calling out for their missing loved ones pierce the air.

A video clip broadcast on Venezuelan state television showed buildings without facades and leaning on their foundations. What remained of the other buildings was buried under piles of rubble. Another video showed huge piles of debris as people climbed and searched around the huge piles. Other buildings were seen completely collapsed to the ground.

Broken windows, broken pipes and concrete slabs were scattered among stuffed animals, clothes and shoes. Some satellite images even show evidence of fire damage, consistent with reports by firefighters supporting the emergency response.

Residents said there was not enough aid to meet people’s needs, and that first responders were struggling to cope with the number of people injured or missing under the rubble.

Acting President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez, declared the state of La Guaira a disaster zone, saying late on Wednesday evening that “the situation in La Guaira is a real tragedy.”

People gathered in public places, carrying whatever they could salvage and bring with them, according to Doctors Without Borders. Others decided to stay out in the open, fearing their buildings would be next.

Schools and sports stadiums were turned into temporary shelters for those who lost their homes. Other public buildings became centers for collecting emergency supplies, as relief groups stressed the urgent need for basic household items, safe water and sanitation.

The Venezuelan Red Cross said urgent medical care, including trauma care and psychological support, is needed as residents reel from the tragedy.

La Guaira is one of Venezuela’s 23 states, located in the north of the country on the coast, and has faced tremendous tragedy in the past.

“Sea and air gateway”

While La Guaira was hardest hit, it was not the epicenter of the quake, which was in nearby Yaracuy state, according to the US Geological Survey.

But La Guaira is home to one of Venezuela’s largest seaports and Simón Bolívar International Airport, which serves the capital, Caracas, and is the country’s most important airport.

For this reason, the state is known as the “sea and air gateway” to Venezuela. “With a high population density concentrated in its urban area, this state is an economic engine that drives Venezuela,” the country’s government says.

La Guaira borders the Caribbean Sea, the metropolitan area, and the states of Aragua and Miranda.

“Its economic development is above the national average. The country’s strategic location, as the maritime and air gateway to Venezuela, gives it geopolitical and economic importance,” according to the Venezuelan government.

It is one of the most populous states in the country with an estimated population of about 300,000 people, according to the Universidad Centrocedental Lisandro Alvarado, a public educational institution in Venezuela.

The 7.5-magnitude quake was centered about 14 miles southeast of the town of Yumari in Yaracuy Prefecture.

La Guaira was formerly known as Vargas State until June 2019, when the state’s name was officially changed.

The state was still called Vargas at the time, and it experienced one of its most tragic moments in December 1999, when a landslide caused by torrential rains killed and disappeared thousands of people. Houses and vehicles were buried under a wave of thick mud.

The Red Cross said at the time that half a million people were affected. Floods hit the capital and nine states for more than ten days. The Red Cross said in a report issued a year later that rivers had burst their banks and buried parts of the central coastal region under mud.

Researchers from the Central University of Venezuela reported in an article that the 1999 tragedy resulted in the loss or death of about 15,000 people, losses estimated at US$3.5 billion, the destruction of more than 15,000 homes, and about 75,000 people homeless.

But the Venezuelan government has never announced an official death toll.

Water and sanitation became a top priority in the wake of the infamous mudslide, with the Red Cross working with the state water company and the Venezuelan military to provide safe drinking water to people. Most of Vargas’ water and sanitation systems were destroyed, and the country needed assistance for several months after the tragedy, with relief groups stepping in to meet health and rehabilitation needs.

As with the tragedy more than two decades ago, the full extent of the devastation caused by the recent earthquakes may not be known for days or weeks, as the people of La Guaira endure another disaster in their state’s history.

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