On the evening of 24 June, La Guaira was hit by back-to-back earthquakes, each with a strength of more than 7 on the Richter scale. Homes, schools, businesses and even roads were destroyed.
Across northern Venezuela, over 6,000 people were killed by the earthquakes. Nearly 20,000 more were injured and almost 18,000 people have lost their homes. Sadly, the death toll continues to rise as more bodies are found underneath the rubble.
The state of La Guaira is home to around 400,000 people. Just a few weeks ago, it was full of life and celebration as people gathered on a public holiday with their families. Today, it is full of lists with the names of people still missing from the earthquakes.
I was last in La Guaira, a region on the Caribbean coast of Venezuela, three years ago. This was the area where I grew up as a child. For me, it has always been a place of happy memories. I wasn’t prepared for the devastation I saw on my return.
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My first port of call when I reached La Guaira was to visit my hometown, Catia la Mar. The town sits at the base of Ávila mountain, and its soil is made up of sediment, making the ground loose and prone to waterlogging. Instead of helping to absorb the shocks from the earthquakes, the loose soil amplified its devastation.
Catia la Mar’s main road, once dotted with shops, is almost entirely reduced to rubble. The primary school I once went to was destroyed, and every single one of the teachers lost their lives. I’m still too scared to find out how many of my old classmates are still alive.
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The neighbourhood where I grew up with my cousins no longer exists. The streets I cycled as a child and the building where my cousins lived, have all been destroyed. It’s surreal to be standing in the area where you grew up and not to be able to identify where you are. The landmarks have all vanished, everything reduced to mountains of debris.
I thought no-one in my family had died but sadly I was wrong. My mom waited until I arrived back in Venezuela to tell me in person that one of my cousins was killed along with her husband and daughter. Still, I consider myself very lucky. Most of my family are safe and I have what I need to help them. Unfortunately, not everyone in La Guaira has that same safety net to fall back on.
My work as an aid worker has taken me around the world, including to support people impacted by conflict in the Middle East. During my time there, I saw firsthand how Syria and Turkey began to recover from the 2023 earthquakes. I never once thought I would find myself helping aid reach earthquake survivors in my own hometown.
Sadly, La Guaira is no stranger to tragedy. In 1999, torrential rains triggered flash floods and massive landslides that killed tens of thousands of people. The landslides washed away homes leaving thousands homeless and many buried beneath the mud. A generation of children that survived those landslides are now recovering the bodies of their parents nearly 30 years later.
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The generous donations of congregations across the island of Ireland as well as the wider public is helping make a real difference to those who have lost everything. As a member of the ACT Alliance, Christian Aid Ireland has been able to connect with local faith-based partners on the ground closest to the worst affected communities and best able to gauge their needs and respond.
From the very start, we have supported partner organisations as they have responded to support earthquake affected families in the hardest hit areas with emergency relief, including hot meals and drinking water. We’ve also set up safe spaces, led by psychologists, where earthquake survivors of all ages can begin to process and heal from the trauma they have experienced.
Your donations are giving hope to people in my country during one of its darkest moments. While the coverage of the earthquakes has begun fading from TV screens around the world, I ask that you keep the people of Venezuela in your minds and in your hearts.
Please continue to stand with us. Your solidarity is needed now more than ever.
Belgica Alvarez is Christian Aid’s Humanitarian Lead in Latin America and the Caribbean. Thanks to the generous donations of the public as well as contributions from our committed supporting churches, Christian Aid Ireland’s appeal has so far raised €250,000 to support earthquake affected communities in Venezuela.
Families affected by the earthquakes need support not just in the aftermath, but throughout the long road to recovery. Your gift can help Christian Aid's partners reach more people with vital assistance.
