Francia Hernández, a resident of the San Judas Tadeo building in El Paraíso, Caracas, recounted to Infobae how she and her family survived the collapse of their home following the two earthquakes that shook Venezuela during the early hours of the morning. The disaster left at least 188 dead, 1,520 injured, and 157 missing, according to interim president Delcy Rodríguez. Authorities confirmed that the tremors were independent events and particularly affected Caracas and La Guaira.
On the night of the tragedy, Hernández was in her third-floor apartment with her son and husband. “We headed to the building around six in the evening. I was coming back with my son from trading collectible cards, and we have a dog. We are alive thanks to the dog,” she told Infobae. She explained that her son had wanted to stay home, but she insisted he accompany her to walk the dog: “I told him no, that he had to come with me because I had been with him all day.”
“We went out at six in the evening with the dog, and ten minutes later, I looked over and the shaking started. We were terrified; we were out on the street, and everything was in chaos,” Hernández recounted. A few minutes later, she received the news that her building had collapsed: “They told me my building had fallen down, and when I arrived, my neighbors were there. Four families were affected; two apartments were empty. We’re left on the street; we have nothing.”
Solidarity from other neighbors was crucial in the first few hours: “I was just given some shoes and clothes for the boy, and for me, too. We are out on the street.” Hernández emphasized the need for official aid: “If anyone from the government can help us—there are many families affected.”
At the Miguel Pérez Carreño Hospital in western Caracas, stories are multiplying—both of families who managed to rescue their loved ones and of those who are still waiting for news. Jesús Molino, a resident of La Guaira, told Infobae:
