Omar Khalifa was deployed to Venezuela as part of Islamic Relief’s emergency response team, after 2 deadly earthquakes struck the country on 24 June. He shares his experiences over these intense past 2 weeks.
One of my most emotional moments was in a traffic jam.
We were on our way to La Guaira, the coastal epicentre of the earthquakes, but the road was closed for a search and rescue operation. The rescue team asked everyone to turn off their car engines and stop talking, for complete silence. A road full of cars – and an entire country – waited in hope for a miracle and to hear the faint sound of a knock or a plea for help from a survivor buried under tonnes of rubble. None came.
Today the death toll is over 3, 500. But 50, 000 more people remain missing, and families still spend their days in desperate conditions, homeless and hoping for any news of their loved ones.
The first few days
When I arrived in Venezuela, I saw utter devastation everywhere.
In just a few seconds thousands of homes were turned into rubble. I drove past houses with no walls left and ceilings where the floor used to be, and large buildings completely toppled over. The UN estimates $37 billion in damage – one of the costliest disasters in Latin American history and about 30% of Venezuela’s GDP.
A few days before, ordinary families were living in these homes and going about their lives, unaware of the disaster that was about to strike. Now they’re sleeping by the side of the roads, or in parks and football stadiums, trying to get shelter and food and uncertain what the future holds.
Survivors delivering aid to survivors
As soon as I arrived, I met up with Islamic Relief’s local partners, a network of mosques and community volunteers. They only just managed to escape their own homes in time, yet within a few hours they had already mobilised and begun delivering aid to survivors.
Many of the volunteers still can’t go home. They’re living in one shared house, grabbing a few hours’ sleep on the floor in between distributing aid. I feel truly humbled and inspired to be working with them.
On the streets people don’t have anything. The heat is scorching and for the first few days the water supply was cut off, so everywhere we went people asked us for bottles of water.
Most people didn’t have time to pick anything up as they fled. I spoke to families who were still wearing the same clothes 4 or 5 days later. Others told me they left vital medicine at home and now couldn’t get any more. Many needed tents and blankets as they had no protection at night and young children were ravaged by mosquito bites. Very elderly people had nowhere to sleep but the floor. I visited a site where over 400 people were staying without a single toilet.
I’ve heard so many stories of trauma and desperation, but I’ve also met many inspirational people. Hundreds of families pitched tents in the main park in central Caracas, where we met an amazing woman called Adriana who’s staying there with her children. At the same time, she’s coordinating aid efforts in this makeshift camp – people bring donations like shoes, clothes and food, and then Adriana organises it all so that it gets allocated fairly to the people who need it most urgently.
Getting aid to people
In an emergency, Islamic Relief aims to ensure dignity as well as basic aid.
We know that diseases can spread quickly in such conditions, so from the outset we decided to distribute hygiene kits containing soap, sanitary pads, toothpaste and brushes.
We also provided immediate food packs with items that can be used by families without electricity, refrigeration or cooking utensils – such as cans of tuna and high energy biscuits.
Islamic Relief has extensive global experience of responding to earthquakes – from Syria to Morocco, Afghanistan to Indonesia. But delivering aid is always a huge logistical challenge, especially in the first few days.
It’s only about 12 miles between Caracas and La Guaira, but it took us almost a whole day to get in and out because roads are badly damaged or blocked. In La Guaira the internet and mobile network was down, making it hard to coordinate. Essential utilities like gas and water were shut down. The main airport is still closed due to damage.
Despite the huge challenges, so far Islamic Relief and our local partners have managed to deliver aid to more than 2,200 survivors. But so much more is still needed.
People will need long-term support to recover
My biggest fear is that international help dries up once the news headlines inevitably fade.
People have lost their livelihoods as well as their homes. Venezuela was already suffering an economic crisis, and the earthquakes will magnify its impact, especially for the poorest families.
The psychological impact of a disaster is often overlooked. In a few minutes people lost loved ones, their homes, their jobs, and the future they had planned. Now they’re sleeping on the street, or maybe in a tent if they’re lucky, surrounded by strangers and with no idea what happens next. The mental health impact is enormous.
Soon after I arrived, I met a man holding a funeral for his brother – they’d been together just moments before the earthquake hit. He was struggling to process why he was still alive, but his brother was dead. A few days later the body of his brother’s wife was discovered in the rubble. Now the man is looking after their 2 orphaned children.
So many lives have changed forever in the blink of an eye. We’re committed to help them rebuild and recover.
By donating generously today, you can help us reach the communities whose lives have been devastated by the earthquakes in Venezuela. Donate to our Global Emergency Fund now.
Featured image credit: DEC
