‘Tonnes of rubble’: 58,000 buildings estimated destroyed in Venezuela earthquakes | Venezuela
M.More than 58,000 buildings may have been damaged and destroyed by twin earthquakes that hit Venezuela last week, according to a preliminary analysis of satellite data that suggests the extent of destruction may dwarf official estimates.
At least 1,943 people died, more than 10,571 people were injured, and tens of thousands of people were trapped under the rubble in the consecutive earthquakes of 7.2 and 7.5 magnitudes last Wednesday. The UN Migration Agency said up to 6.8 million people could be affected by disasters and may need shelter, water, sanitation, health services and basic relief supplies.
Efforts are ongoing to determine the true extent of the damage as hopes of finding survivors fade. On Monday, National Assembly president Jorge Rodríguez said 855 buildings were damaged, 189 of which were “completely collapsed.”
But an initial assessment of satellite data released by the US space agency NASA raises the possibility of much more serious and widespread damage.
After analyzing high-resolution radar images collected the day after the earthquakes by the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-1 satellites, researchers at Oregon State University concluded that “approximately 58,870 buildings were likely damaged or destroyed in the affected area.”
They added: “This is a rapid preliminary assessment. It reflects sudden surface change consistent with damage.”
Meanwhile, as Venezuela’s stressed and damaged health facilities struggle to cope with the earthquake’s aftermath, the World Health Organization has raised the alarm about possible disease outbreaks.
“Health services are currently under extreme pressure and facilities are operating beyond capacity,” spokesman Christian Lindmeier said at a press conference in Geneva.
He added that there was an “increased risk” of outbreaks of measles and diphtheria, as well as outbreaks of yellow fever, malaria, dengue, chikungunya and Zika, due to low vaccination levels before the earthquake.
The World Health Organization said in its initial findings that there were gaps in maternity care in the hard-hit port city of La Guaira because maternity care workers were still missing after the earthquake. Also noted was “chaotic service delivery and patient flow due to overcrowding” [and] “growing surgical backlogs,” he said, adding that there were problems in adequately recording the injured and tracking missing persons.
The government militarized La Guaira and required permits to enter the disaster area. The U.S. military repaired and reopened the city’s port, where at least one warehouse had been converted into a makeshift morgue for hundreds of unidentified cadavers in body bags.
According to UN Venezuela coordinator Gianluca Rampolla, a total of 27 countries mobilized nearly 40 search and rescue teams. These include more than 2,000 soldiers and personnel, as well as more than 160 dogs. Rampolla said the UN would provide 10,000 body bags but hoped the final number would be lower.
Waiting for news, good or bad, increases public anger over the authorities’ failure to prepare for disaster and respond more quickly when earthquakes occur.
Daniela Mangiafico has not heard from her 80-year-old grandmother, Josefa Báez Verdejo, since the building where they lived in the Tanaguarenas district of La Guaira collapsed last Wednesday. Mangiafico’s three chihuahuas and five cats are also missing or trapped.
“My whole life is gone: everything, my grandmother and my pets; they’re all my family,” he said Sunday. “What happened, help came late. It’s taking too long and of course how do you ask people who are stuck there to wait?”
Two days later, Mangiafico said a voice was heard that may have belonged to his grandmother. The family still hopes he may have managed to find shelter in a space behind his bed.
“They completely forgot about us in Tanaguarenas,” Mangiafico’s sister Jennifer said. In a video released on Tuesday morning, it was said:.
“Rescuers came, but not the kind we need. We need machines because we can’t do anything by hand anymore. There are tons of rubble that we can’t lift with our hands.”
Nicolás Serrato, a volunteer rescue worker from southern Venezuela, said the devastation he saw in and around La Guaira was staggering.
“Very few buildings were unaffected,” he said. “The vast majority of houses, from small houses to three-storey buildings and huge apartment blocks, are severely damaged. Those still standing have serious structural problems.”
Serrato said the estimate of 50,000 damaged buildings is pretty consistent with what he’s seen.
“It’s really brutal,” he said. “All the survivors are searching for their families right now. It’s a very deep emergency and it’s extremely important to help right now because it’s so difficult.”
Agence France-Presse and Reuters are contributing to this report
