Chicagoan Jose Morales grew up hearing stories of the 6.6 magnitude earthquake that hit Venzeula in 1967, just four years before he was born.
The disaster created a national memory.
Back-to-back powerful earthquakes, among the strongest to strike Venezuela in more than a century, slammed the country on Wednesday, collapsing buildings in the capital of Caracas and leaving residents — including Morales’ parents — shaken up.
“It’s in the memory of everyone who is old enough,” said Morales, the vice president of the Illinois Venezuela Alliance. “And now this was even stronger than that one.”
The U.S. Geological Survey said shortly after 6 p.m. local time, the first earthquake had a magnitude of 7.1 and its epicenter was west of the community of Morón, located along the country’s Caribbean coast, about 104 miles west of Caracas. An even larger 7.5-magnitude earthquake was reported a minute later, with a depth of 10 kilometers and its epicenter was 10 miles southwest of Morón.
Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said the quake could be felt in several states. The Altamira neighborhood in Caracas had “alarming situations” with collapsed homes and buildings, he said, suggesting people were injured in the earthquake and asking motorists to give way to ambulances and other emergency vehicles.
Morales initially hadn’t been able to get in touch with his parents due to power and internet outages in the nation’s capitol, Caracas, but heard around 8 p.m. Chicago time that they were alright — albeit a bit shaken up. They sent him photos of their home in shambles after the quake, though he said they fared well compared to some neighbors whose homes fully collapsed.
“Devastation is the right word,” Morales said. “We have seen fires, walls coming down, walls with cracks. There’s going to be a lot of dead and wounded.”
While the country sits near multiple fault lines, its position straddling the South American and Caribbean plates makes earthquakes much less common than in other parts of Latin America. Along the Pacific coast — in Mexico and Chile, for example — earthquakes are frequent; the two countries sit along the seismically active tectonic belt known as the “Pacific Ring of Fire,” responsible for 90% of earthquakes, according to the USGS.
Morales compared some of the destruction his parents had seen to that of an 8.0 earthquake that hit Mexico in 1985.
While he was still waiting to hear back from extended family and friends who live near the epicenter Wednesday night, he was already brain storming what items he and other Venezuelans in the diaspora would need to help gather and fundraise to help in the aftermath. Tents were top of mind as he thought about those who lost their homes.
Morales said he expects the country to push through, but that he was hopeful the United States would help rebuild given it attempted to temporarily take over the nation after deposing then-president Nicolas Maduro with military force earlier this year.
“We are rebuilding, we are resilient, we are strong,” Morales said. “Venezuelans have never been shy of working, so I’m sure they will be doing what they have to do. … And the United States being so interested in Venezuela, we expect it’ll translate into federal help.”
Contributing: AP