A resident of Páez Street in the Soublette extension of La Guaira state expressed the neglect experienced by thousands of families when she greeted the Vente Venezuela Human Rights team on Tuesday. "No one has come here, you're the first to check the houses and even to ask questions," she remarked as the volunteers arrived with supplies, six days after the catastrophic earthquakes of June 24, 2026.
Connected to María Corina Machado's Vente Venezuela party, the organization visited this underprivileged area of La Guaira to listen to the affected residents and provide aid, where government presence was notably absent.
In a second video shared by the same account, the woman opened her home's doors to reveal the damage caused by the tremors: fresh cracks in walls and columns, some existing ones worsened by the seismic activity.
"It's like a mix of bombing and earthquake, this one got worse, and this is the one that concerns us the most," she pointed out, indicating the fissures. Highlighting a fracture in what seemed to be a structural column in the bathroom, she noted, "I don't know if it's because it cut through the column. This crack is new. This was tiny. These weren't here before."
Her account sheds light on the plight of numerous families in La Guaira's poor neighborhoods who have neither received technical inspections nor state assistance since the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes struck northern Venezuela on June 24 at 6:04 PM local time, with only 39 seconds separating the two events.
The tremors, classified by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) as the strongest recorded in Venezuela since 1900, resulted in a death toll reported by various sources to range between 1,719 and 1,943, with over 5,000 injured and approximately 16,000 displaced.
The United Nations cautioned that up to 50,000 people might be missing, while NASA estimated that around 58,870 buildings were damaged or destroyed in the affected area.
In La Guaira, 250 buildings collapsed, and the José María Vargas Hospital was obliterated. The material damage is estimated at 6.7 billion dollars, representing 6% of Venezuela's GDP.
While civil society and the opposition mobilized to deliver aid directly to those impacted, Nicolás Maduro's regime militarized the region with 14,000 troops and implemented a mandatory accreditation system to enter La Guaira, causing logistical chaos and hindering international volunteers and rescue teams.
Groups like Spain's Usar13 and American rescuers were either barred entry or forced to turn back due to bureaucratic obstacles, while Venezuelan volunteers on motorcycles partially filled the governmental void by delivering food, water, and medicine.
This Tuesday, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez promised new housing for the displaced before the end of 2026 and introduced a color-coded structural classification system—green, yellow, and red—to assess the condition of damaged homes. However, in areas like Páez Street, no officials had inspected the houses when the Vente Venezuela team arrived with supplies.
"Being here is also about supporting, listening, and not leaving people alone," wrote DDHH Vente Venezuela while sharing the resident's story.
Understanding the Aftermath of Venezuela's Earthquakes
How severe were the June 24, 2026, earthquakes in Venezuela?
The earthquakes were of magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, making them the most powerful recorded in Venezuela since 1900, according to the USGS.
What has been the government's response to the crisis?
The government, led by Nicolás Maduro, has militarized the affected zone and implemented an accreditation system for entry, which has complicated aid efforts.
What steps are being taken to assist those affected?
Civil society and opposition groups have mobilized to provide direct aid, while the government has announced plans for new housing and structural assessments.