Key facts
- A Venezuelan family has relocated from La Guaira to Maracaibo following earthquakes.
- The June 24 earthquakes killed over 5,500 people and displaced thousands.
- The family sought refuge from trauma and aftershocks in a different region.
- They received financial assistance from a relative for their move.
- The family hopes for permanent housing from the government.
Weeks after twin earthquakes devastated Venezuela's central coast, Adriana Aponte and her family have joined a growing number of survivors relocating to less affected regions. The magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 quakes on June 24 killed at least 5,500 people and forced thousands into makeshift camps, triggering internal displacement.
Aponte, a 26-year-old mother of three, moved from the hard-hit coastal city of La Guaira to Maracaibo, an oil-producing city in the western state of Zulia. She stated that her family chose to leave due to the constant fear of aftershocks and the destruction of hundreds of buildings. Her own home sustained damage, with a wall collapsing and splitting a bedroom in half.
A relative provided the family with 50,000 bolivars (approximately $67) to fund their journey to Maracaibo, where Aponte has relatives. She expressed feeling safe in their new, modest two-story home, which they are cleaning and hope to occupy temporarily while awaiting government-provided permanent housing. Despite finding reassurance in Maracaibo, Aponte conveyed regret over leaving her father and sisters behind in La Guaira.