She didn’t know it yet, but Tania Kislinger, 73, was living through Venezuela’s worst earthquake disaster in over a century. Alone in an elevator in a Caracas high-rise apartment building, she would later say the elevator shook like a washing machine.
“Thankfully it didn’t drop, and while it was shaking heavily, it went down and thankfully, the doors opened on the first floor,” said Kislinger’s daughter Tania, a media relations specialist for OneLegacy in Azusa. “My Mom called me shortly after and she was shaken up.”
Kislinger, who had knee replacement surgery last year, was able to walk down a flight of stairs to the ground floor of the apartment building she was visiting. Residents started pouring out into the street when Kislinger got in her car and drove home to Altamira, about 3 to 5 miles away. The epicenter of the twin quakes was centered at Yaracuy state, about 100 miles west of Caracas.
Her home in Altamira, where Llavaneras grew up, with a generous view of green mountains, sustained some damage, mostly broken glass, porcelain and china.
“She and her caretaker spent the day cleaning, very upset,” Llavaneras said. “There have been several aftershocks, with the last big one on Monday. It was 4.6 and it jolted my mom out of bed at 7 in the morning. She woke up in a panic.”
But nerves haven’t prevented Kislinger from joining helpers in her neighborhood. Several fruit vendors asked her for help feeding the volunteers going through the rubble after the back-to-back earthquakes on June 24.
“They filled her SUV with bananas and other fruit and she drove around helping,” her daughter said. “She told me while it was happening, she thought it was going to be it for her. Can you imagine? I am grateful she is very resilient and strong.”
Kislinger survived the last big tremor that rocked the South American country, a 6.6-magnitude quake in 1967. But the rare twin earthquakes, happening within seconds of each other on June 24 at 6:04 p.m., measured larger magnitude of 7.2 and 7.5.
Llavaneras said her extended family, including her brother, are safe. All reported feeling the tremors and seeing buildings destroyed where they live, as thousands of people are feared dead. The country’s president, Jorge Rodriguez, put the official death toll at 1,943 people as of Tuesday, June 30. By Thursday, the number had risen to more than 2,000.
Among those mourning is a Southern California family.
Romildo Batista de Lima, a Riverside County pastor, was in Venezuela with his wife, Carlha. De Lima suffered fatal injuries when a wall collapsed on him during the quake, according to a GoFundMe page set up to support the family. His wife, Carlha, suffered two broken legs and a fractured pelvis, according to the GoFundMe post.
“Romildo was more than a pastor. He was the heart of our family. He was a loving husband, a devoted father of Daniel DeLima and a proud grandfather of 3 grandchildren, a caring brother, and a faithful friend,” according his loved-ones’ GoFundMe post.
The humanitarian crisis unfolding in their mother country propelled local Venezuelaños in the San Gabriel Valley, and in Southern California, to action.
Amara Barroeta, owner of Amara Café in Pasadena, thanked the community for helping the business make a record-breaking $7,787 in sales from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday. People came in for coffee, lunch, churros and arepas, turning awareness into action, she said.
The café will donate $5,451 to the nonprofit GlobalGiving and its Venezuela Earthquake Relief Fund.
The day was a “powerful reminder of what a community can accomplish when it comes together with a purpose,” Barroeta said.
On her social media, @amarachocolate, she has also gathered links to trusted organizations in Venezuela that is on the ground there. It is one of many ways Barroeta is helping.
“My wish for Valenzuela is recovery, dignity, and hope,” she said. “This tragedy has struck a country where many families were already facing the consequences of more than 20 years of economic hardship and political oppression. Today, they need our support more than ever.”
Los Angeles County Fire Department announced Wednesday that its Urban Search and Rescue Team, USA-2, is on the ground in Venezuela. The team is made up of 71 firefighters, structural engineers, doctors, and six canine teams.
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is asking parishes and Catholic schools in its territory to add a special collection through July to help those affected by the Venezuelan earthquakes.
“The people of Venezuela need to know that the Church stands with them,” Sabrina Lopez, director of the Pontifical Mission Societies for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, said in a statement. “We ask the faithful throughout the Archdiocese to lift them up in prayer and to give generously so that families who have lost so much may find comfort, hope, and the support they need to rebuild their lives.”
For Barroeta and Llavaneras, the months ahead will be full of opportunities to help. Llavaneras will be flying to Venezuela in August, and is looking into how she can volunteer there.
Compassion doesn’t stop at borders, and that as Venezuelans abroad and citizens of the world, people should and do care, Barroeta added.
“We are all connected, and when one community suffers, we all have a chance to make a difference.”