Catastrophic earthquake
Friends, I can't explain the sadness and fear I've felt since yesterday. I suppose you know about the terrible news of the earthquake in Venezuela. It was the most HORRIBLE experience I've ever had to endure in my life… I've never felt like my time was up. Yesterday, I'll tell you, during the earthquake I didn't react, I didn't speak, I didn't scream, I just huddled against a column, more than certain that this would be my last moment alive, because the movement was so violent that I truly thought the building would collapse… I felt terrible, the fear was so intense it paralyzed me. I could hear the earth shaking, my son's desperate cries, I could hear ALL THE NEIGHBORS screaming inconsolably, things falling in the house. It was very, very traumatic. I don't know if I'll ever get over this.
But the nightmare passed; for some reason, the building withstood the earthquake and subsequent aftershocks very well. Our house flooded because the water we had stored in the hallway overflowed, glass items broke in the kitchen, and a bookcase was completely destroyed,,.
The power and cell phone signal died along with the earthquake and I couldn't talk to my mom to find out if she was okay. I imagined the worst and didn't know anything about what was happening in other places. I thought we had suffered badly until I saw the news and realized the magnitude of the disaster.
The earthquake affected several states in the country and was particularly catastrophic in La Guaira, a beautiful place that has sadly experienced tragedies on several occasions. Most of my husband's family lives there; luckily, they are all right, although two of his aunts lost their apartments. At this time, there are 188 dead, not counting those who have not yet been pulled from the rubble. This situation pains me deeply. I put myself in their shoes because it could have been us; I felt that for a moment we would end up being searched for among the debris. Many people today have lost their parents, children, spouses, grandparents… The number of deaths is terrible.
(Lo siento no tengo creditos de esta foto ya que me la envio un familiar por whastapp)
(Sorry, I don't own the credits for this photo as a family member sent it to me via WhatsApp.)
It's not fair all the misfortunes we Venezuelans are experiencing, and it seems this year is the worst of all. Yesterday my building didn't collapse, but we witnessed the tiles coming loose on the ground floor, and I also discovered that the most vulnerable part of my house is the kitchen, since the tiles there also lifted up, leaving my wall uneven.
I only slept for 1 hour, I couldn't sleep, the discomfort took over my body all night, I was trembling with fear and thought it was the bed that was shaking.
I can't even begin to count the number of photos and videos I've seen today of the situation, and how much each one shocks me more than the last: buildings collapsing like simple paper boxes, people looting shops, hotels reduced to dust, corpses, orphaned children—it hurts so much.
We're waiting anxiously, hoping it doesn't happen again, because I'm sure if something similar happens again, we won't be able to cope. I'm getting sick from nerves and anxiety. Today has been a little calmer, although there were still a lot of low-level tremors... I hope I can sleep a little better tonight, although I think it will be very difficult.
Fortaleza amiga, yo cuando corri dejé hasta el telefono, las chancletas todo!. Me alegra ver que estas bien y tu familia, Dios te bendiga.
Me alegro de saber de tiii que bueno que estás bien, yo de verdad me quedé en blanco fue un momento demasiado desesperante
Todavía estamos en eso mami, Dios te bendiga. <3
Hola amiga, espero estés bien. Sinceramente no puedo imaginar todo lo que has vivido durante este terremoto, a pesar de estar al oriente se sintió bastante fuerte en Monagas, es por eso que imagino lo fuerte que fue para ustedes. De verdad espero que todo pronto cese y que todos sean rescatados, de verdad es fuerte esto que se vive en Venezuela.
Saludos, cuídate mucho @alexa.art
Gracias @nqthyortiz 🥺 tengo familia en el oriente y también me comentaron que lo sintieron allá. Demasiado fuerte está tragedia
💔💔💔
😢😭
De terror, los que lo vivimos no lo olvidaremos jamás.
Nunca 😢
😢 💔
This is heartbreaking... 😢 I have seen the photos in the news. People were trapped and missing.
Please be safe, Alexa.
I'm glad to hear that you and your son are ok. What happened in you country is terrifying. I was reading about your experience and was flooded with anxiety thinking about being in a this horror... I'm really sorry that you went through this. But I'm even more worried now about all the buildings that got severely damaged but didn't collapse...are they safe to go back to? I feel like going back to your apartment might be risky. Where are you spending the night?
I spent the night in my apartment, although it may not seem like it, it didn't suffer serious damage. There are other places that were practically uninhabitable and people have been sleeping on the street for days. Luckily, my building withstood the horrible double earthquake.
That's a relief to hear. I thought the damage was more severe than it is. There is a long road ahead to recover from this event, so I wish you to stay strong.
Te comprendo amiga, tambien estoy enferma de los nervios, mi vida ya no es la misma, viví con mis hijos el horror de creer que era la ultima vez que los abrazaba, estamos bien, pero crei que moriria. Dios nos proteja.
Dios mio si, fue espantoso la sensacion mas horrible de la vida, cuidate mucho
The situation is so disheartening, causing fear and anxiety. Thank God still that you people were saved.
It's hard to think about or to be remembered but try calming yourself down.
If possible, quickly relocate to one of the safer cities. Take care.
Thank you very much, these have been difficult days psychologically speaking, the aftermath of this is not easy to deal with.
I know..., it's so tragedic, and so sad because majority of those that died were caught unawares, it was so sudden and unexpected....
Just take heart and clearly make some moves to other alternatives.
Relocating to a more safer place if there's any. Being alive is the highest gift anyone can receive from God.
Take heart and don't be too much worried. Take care, have a great day.
Se entiende lo difícil que debe haber sido y lo narras muy bien. Muy duro vivir esa experiencia. Agradecer que estan bien. Les deseo mucha fuerza y energia para superar esa pesadilla.
Asi es, muchas gracias @lazzvi