Thousands of people impacted by the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela last month are increasingly struggling to access clean water, sanitation, and hygiene services. In the hardest-hit state, La Guaira, families have resorted to showering and relieving themselves on the beach, with excrement now visible along parts of the once-popular Caribbean shoreline. Others are using the limited water remaining in their home storage tanks for washing dishes and personal hygiene. Many are living in temporary shelters or outdoors after 190 buildings collapsed and 856 others were damaged in the back-to-back earthquakes on June 24 that killed 3,811 people, according to Venezuelan officials.
Water Storage Tanks Destroyed
“We always have water in the tank — water reserved — but with the earthquake, most of the tanks in the houses broke,” said Juliani Herrera, 20, referring to the large blue plastic tanks many Venezuelan families use to store water for days when the state-owned utility services the areas. “Now, we have to wait to see if a tanker comes and fills buckets.” In Maiquetía, people lined up on Wednesday to receive a box bearing the United States flag, containing food, water, and a hygiene kit that included soap, a toothbrush, and body-cleansing towelettes.
Pre-Existing Water Shortages Worsened
Some affected communities had potable water service only once every month or two even before the quakes. Herrera, who received one of the aid boxes at a tent camp adjacent to the beach, carried it several blocks. Her chin, upper arm, and hands were covered with iodine-stained scratches from a fall off a motorcycle when the ground shook violently during the earthquakes.
Displacement and Disease Risk
The government of acting President Delcy Rodríguez estimates that the earthquakes left about 18,000 people homeless. The displaced are now living in schools, sidewalks, parks, plazas, and other public spaces. Beatriz Ochoa, regional head of advocacy for Latin America at the Norwegian Refugee Council, warned in a statement that improved conditions are necessary to prevent disease spread, as people live in densely populated settings under high temperatures, seasonal rains, and with limited privacy. “I have seen families doing everything they can to maintain dignity in extremely difficult conditions,” she said. “In one temporary shelter, I saw families organizing themselves to keep common spaces clean, including through makeshift toilets and basic waste management arrangements. Their determination is remarkable, but families should not have to shoulder this burden alone.”
Government Plans for Reconstruction
Rodríguez on Wednesday announced that her government was working with experts to identify appropriate areas to “build new earthquake-resistant homes and cities.” She added that local and international companies had been called up “for the rapid and aggressive construction of housing.” Rodríguez also said she had “decided to send a letter, among others, to the King of England” to request the release of Venezuelan gold reserves frozen at the Bank of England due to economic sanctions.
UN Appeal and Damage Estimates
The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction estimated direct physical damage to housing and infrastructure at around $37 billion. UN relief chief Tom Fletcher met with Rodríguez and earthquake survivors on Wednesday, when the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs issued an appeal for roughly $300 million to assist 1.3 million Venezuelans in urgent need of aid. As people like Herrera lined up steps from the sea for aid under a bright sky, a shared emotional landscape of exhaustion and disbelief hung over the camp. Among the tents, a hand-painted cardboard sign read “Ciudad Bendita,” or Blessed City. “The worry is always when people are silent because you can really then see the trauma that they’re going through,” Fletcher said. “At many of the sites we visited today we saw people not speaking, in complete hopeless despair, but elsewhere you did also see kids playing football, getting a good meal, and so you can see the humanitarian response also having its impact.”
