Key facts
- Two earthquakes, magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, struck Venezuela, causing widespread damage.
- Thousands of people have been displaced and are sleeping outdoors.
- Families are seeking shelter in parks, plazas, and on makeshift sites.
- Inspections of damaged buildings are underway to assess safety.
- A significant portion of Caracas's buildings predate modern seismic codes.
Two powerful earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude, have devastated parts of Venezuela, leaving thousands homeless and questioning their future living situations. Families like the Quinteros are sleeping in their cars, while others have claimed space on dusty baseball fields or sought refuge under trees and in plazas. The earthquakes, which struck just 39 seconds apart, toppled buildings in Caracas and beyond, with hundreds of homes damaged and the confirmed death toll expected to rise.
In Guaira, the hardest-hit state, residents have resorted to makeshift shelters. Alexandra Martínez described her apartment as "completely wrecked," while Desiré Gil and her family are living in a plaza because their building, though standing, is crumbling and feared to be unsafe. Many are awaiting inspections by the civil protection agency to determine if their homes are habitable, but the government's focus remains on rescue efforts.
Experts like civil engineer José Rangel point to outdated construction codes, noting that over 50% of Caracas was built before the 1982 seismic code was approved, making older structures seismically vulnerable. Rangel and other engineers are involved in evaluating buildings, a process expected to take weeks. Magaly Noguera recounted the terrifying experience of sheltering under a kitchen door frame during the quake and now sleeps outside near a government building with her family, awaiting a safe place to live.