The double disaster that struck Venezuela on Wednesday has left behind a trail of destruction and despair. The earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude, hit the South American nation, killing at least 1,430 people and leaving 68,900 reported missing.
In La Guaira, one of the hardest-hit states, civilians took the search efforts into their own hands, using shovels, heavy equipment, ropes, and bare hands to dig through the rubble. But tensions flared as frustration grew over the inadequacy of the Venezuelan government's response. The military, firefighters, police, and cadets were under-prepared to respond to the tragedy, and the state's efforts to project a robust response only amplified the sense of desperation.
Yuleidy Cadenas, 28, stood across the street from a collapsed public housing building, hoping her son, mother, and brother would be pulled out alive. She fled barefoot from another building as it collapsed on Wednesday and found her mother's 12-floor apartment tower had pancaked. "I got on top of the rubble and told them to yell back, and nobody did, not my brother, nor my son or my mother," she said.
Aid agencies consider the first 48 to 72 hours as crucial for retrieving people alive, and with international rescue teams now joining the effort, there is a glimmer of hope. Simón Bolívar International Airport was badly damaged in the quake, but US teams were working to repair the crucial throughway. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said on state television that more than 14,000 members of the military and police are patrolling the area, where access is now blocked, and special permits are required to enter.
As the search for survivors continues, the focus is on the clock, with rescuers racing against time to find those injured in the quakes. Jeremy Lewin, a senior State Department official, said it's a 'race against the clock' to save lives. The US military will help coordinate flights to bring in search and rescue workers, mobile hospitals, and supplies.
In the city of Maiquetia, people lined up outside stores and pharmacies that served them one by one behind closed doors. A woman in a crowd threw herself to the ground to protect a package of diapers with her body, desperate to keep it. Traffic and throngs of motorcyclists disrupted search efforts, and Mexican soldiers and volunteers repeatedly asked for silence to try to hear signs of life under the rubble.
The situation is desperate, and with many still trapped under the rubble, the clock is ticking. As the focus shifts to the search for survivors, one thing is clear: the road to recovery will be long and arduous.
"People are trapped under rubble, and the priority is to get the search and rescue teams and the medical professionals and others to them as quickly as possible to save lives," Lewin said.