RE: Earthquakes in Venezuela!

Hi Mac! Thanks so much for your support, and especially for the recommendations, since for many of us, this is our first time experiencing this.

Yes, it is a seismically active country, and following the earthquake 60 years ago, many earthquake-resistant structures were built. You know, I’m right here in the capital, and I believe fewer than ten buildings in the entire city actually collapsed—though several that are still standing are at risk of falling. On the other hand, the situation on the other side of the mountain, along the coast, is terrible; practically the entire state was lost. Even though we are far from the epicenter, Caracas and La Guaira sit on sedimentary soil—much like Mexico City—which intensified the force of the tremors. Caracas has been established for a long time, so the best approach is to reinforce it; however, La Guaira is a place where there shouldn't be any housing at all, given the tragedy caused by the rains back in '99.

The disastrous government we had for the last 27 years made a habit of building housing in record time just to appear on television claiming to help people; the truth is, however, that everything still standing dates back to before their time—though I suppose the earthquakes played a role, given that there were two of them. My wife and I were terrified by the force of the first one, and at the time, it seemed very strange when the intensity suddenly spiked; only hours later did we learn that a second, even stronger earthquake had merged with the first. We felt certain the building was going to collapse, largely because the duration of the event caused so much damage across the country.

I’ll also try the trick with the glass of water you mentioned, because just writing this message makes me feel like the ground is moving. We do have something hanging in our bedroom that lets us know when an aftershock is happening—or if we’re just feeling phantom movements—but right now, anything helps. Today is the last day of the month; we’re waiting for our paychecks so we can go visit our families in Aragua. It’s a state near the capital that suffered moderate damage—partly because the ground is more stable—but is geographically closer to the earthquake epicenters.

I feel so much sadness for my country right now, because there are also floods and fires on the other side of Venezuela; hundreds of families there have lost their homes, too, yet hardly anyone is talking about it.

Thanks, Mac! And sorry for using your comment to vent a little more 🙏