The devastation on the ground in Venezuela
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The Clare Byrne Show on Newstalk. With Aviva Insurance.
Well, it's almost a week since those two powerful earthquakes hit densely populated areas of Venezuela, with the latest report saying that the health care system there is being pushed right to its limits. And the number of those confirmed to have died is close to 2,000 now. But the UN says it stands ready to provide 10,000 body bags. Claudia Gonzalez from World Vision Venezuela joins me on the line now from near Caracas. Claudia, thank you very much. for taking the time to be with us today. We'll start with the good news. You've had two rescues overnight, considered miracle rescues at this stage.
What are the latest updates on the earthquake situation in Venezuela?
Yes, yes. We're very happy, you know, to understand that there's still hope. And we confirmed to people that during the early morning was rescue alive. And maybe there are, you know, some more, but those are the ones we can confirm. So, that puts our hearts happier.
But as time goes on, you would expect that to happen less often. I mean, really now it's a recovery operation.
Yes, even though we have been on the field since last Wednesday and the families are still outside the collapsed building trying to get their relatives out. out of the concrete. And that is something that might not happen.
Tell me a little bit about what you are seeing, exactly where you are, what has been happening over the last six days.
We are seeing everything. This is a catastrophe and it is, you know, I believe the bigger that Latin America has in the history. There's thousands of people, 15,000 confirmed families that lost their houses or are unable to go back to their homes. And there's a lot of people sleeping in the street and trying to protect them during the night and during the day because there have been some rains since yesterday. So the situation is still a mess. And we're trying to deal with the families lost everything and something bigger.
And you have children, I understand, too, who have lost their parents. Is there anywhere for those children to go?
Yes, there are schools and really faith-based organisations that are organising shelter for the kids that, you know, are alone. Some of them lost not only their parents, they lost all their families. Some of them haven't been reunited with their family. And we are everywhere, you know, making sure that the kids are OK and that we need to be there to be their voices.
And is help coming? Are you seeing, Claudia, help coming from the state and from countries outside of Venezuela where rescue workers are arriving? Is that happening?
Yes, we have been receiving help from everywhere.
What miraculous rescues have occurred since the earthquakes?
Just to tell you the truth, the solidarity of the world, we are not gonna be able to thank all the solidarity that we have had in the last days. Even though World Vision, it's organizing a fundraising campaign where everyone touched by this catastrophe can go into our webpage in your countries and donate for the children of Venezuela. It's the same happening everywhere.
Orla Guerin from the BBC has arrived in the last couple of days and has been reporting that what she has seen in some areas is that local people are digging through the rubble with their bare hands and that there is very little help coming to professional rescue workers to help them. Now she did say on the afternoon of one of the days that she was there she did witness some help coming but in the main it is people going out there looking for their own family members. Is that the case where you are?
It's the case everywhere. The truth is that, you know, Venezuelans went out even, you know, after the tragedy they had to look for people that are alive, to rescue people that was barrier. We have had, you know, the most extremely emotional solidarity. Everyone went to the streets and tell the truth, the citizens are the ones that, that came first, and that's something that we need to say. The citizens are the ones that came first, that helped the people first. But this is big. We're talking about more than 800 buildings collapses in the states of La Guaira, Carabobo, Falcón, Aragua, Miranda, Distrito Capital.
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