Additional Coverage:
- On La Guaira’s beaches, Venezuela quake survivors improvise showers and toilets amid water shortages (apnews.com)
MAIQUETÍA, Venezuela – In the wake of last month’s devastating earthquakes in Venezuela, thousands of residents are struggling to access clean water, sanitation, and hygiene services. The situation is especially dire in La Guaira, one of the hardest-hit states.
With many homes damaged or destroyed, families have resorted to using the nearby beaches to bathe and relieve themselves, leading to contamination of once-popular Caribbean shorelines. Those with limited water supplies are rationing what remains in their storage tanks for essential tasks like washing dishes and personal hygiene. According to Venezuelan officials, the earthquakes on June 24 caused the collapse of 190 buildings and damaged 856 others, resulting in the deaths of 3,685 people.
“We used to always keep water in the tank for emergencies,” said 20-year-old Juliani Herrera, referring to the large blue plastic tanks commonly used for water storage during outages of the state-run utility. “But the earthquake broke most of the tanks. Now, we have to wait and hope a tanker truck comes by to fill our buckets.”
As the community copes with these ongoing challenges, efforts to restore basic services continue amid the long road to recovery.