A Canadian teacher from Toronto living in Venezuela says residents are digging through rubble by hand and sleeping in parks as search efforts continue days after two powerful earthquakes devastated parts of the country.
The death toll on Wednesday was 7.2 and 7.5 earthquake According to Venezuelan authorities, the number has risen to at least 1,420, while more than 51,000 people remain missing.
Heather McKay, a Canadian who teaches at the British School Caracas, was leaving her apartment to meet a friend for dinner when the first quake struck.
“It was like the sea, almost just kind of moving back and forth,” McKay told Global News.
McKay said she ran away from surrounding buildings when she realized what was happening.
“I saw a building and the fire escape…people were just running down,” she said. “There were just holes in so many homes. It was absolutely intense.”
Her own home was damaged by the earthquake, so she had to seek shelter with a colleague.
“My building has huge holes in the floor. An entire wall is missing near the stairs,” she said.
McKay added that Many residents are still afraid return to their homes for fear of structural damage and aftershocks.
Authorities announced Friday they would restrict access to La Guaira, the epicenter of the destruction, as rescue workers continue to search for survivors.
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More than 14,000 military and police personnel were deployed to the area.
However, McKay said many rescue efforts were being carried out by ordinary citizens.
“People ask, ‘Do you have hammers? Do you have gloves? Do you have helmets?'” she said. “Many rescues were just ordinary citizens wearing motorcycle helmets and digging with their hands.”
McKay said many people escaped with little more than the clothes they were wearing.
“People were on the street in their pajamas trying to argue with their pets but had no idea,” she said. “So many people will have lost everything…literally everything except the clothes they are wearing.”
She warned that the forecast rain could worsen conditions for displaced residents seeking shelter outdoors.
“There are people camping in plazas and parks. They can’t go anywhere,” she said.
Relief agencies generally consider the first 48 to 72 hours after a disaster to be crucial for finding survivors trapped under collapsed buildings, according to Kelsey Lemon, vice president of international cooperation for the Red Cross.
“We expect a long road to recovery,” Lemon said.
Despite the destruction, McKay said residents have banded together to help each other.
“Venezuelans are some of the hardest working and kindest people you will ever meet,” she said. “Everyone is doing their best, but we need help.”
McKay said she registered her presence in Venezuela with Global Affairs Canada and received updates following security incidents earlier this year, but has “not received any communication from them” since the earthquakes.
She urged people not to forget the country as international attention inevitably shifts elsewhere.
Venezuelan authorities said Friday that 861 volunteers from Mexico, the United States, El Salvador, Switzerland, Colombia and other countries were in the country, with more coming from elsewhere.
“Right now it’s in the news, but in a week, in a month it’s not going to be fixed,” McKay said. “Please don’t forget Venezuela.”
–with files from Associated Press
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