Ten days after the double earthquake in Venezuela, the death toll had reached 2,954 and thousands of displaced residents were still sleeping outdoors beside damaged buildings. The scale of the emergency kept pressure on Venezuela as recovery crews worked while families waited for shelter and repairs.
Authorities said more than 12,600 people had been injured and 15,000 people were left without a place to sleep. José Guillén, one of the displaced residents, said: "Ya tenemos más de diez días con niños, personas adultas, ahí en la calle" as families stayed on the street for more than ten days.
Caraballeda road blockade
Residents blocked the main access road to Caraballeda on Saturday to press the government to move them. Juan Jiménez, who lived on the fourth floor of OPPE 30, asked for relocation with a direct appeal: "¿Dónde está el Gobierno? Lo que queremos nosotros es que por lo menos vengan y digan: suban a los autobuses".
The government had promised relocation to the Los Caracas hotel complex, but the displaced residents remained outside while the streets beside destroyed buildings stayed crowded with people waiting for transport. The latest balance also put the damage at 885 affected buildings, including 189 that had totally collapsed, a count that left whole blocks in La Guaira facing a longer repair and clearance process than many residents had expected.
La Guaira recovery pressure
The double earthquake was described as two shocks of 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude, and La Guaira was the most affected state. On Saturday, a Spanish aid group also began operating a field hospital in Parque del Este in Caracas, with ambulatory care for basic and urgent treatment and its own energy and water supply.
Digitel and Movistar Venezuela were working to restore connectivity in La Guaira with help from Starlink. Digitel said it had added satellite connectivity through SpaceX in collaboration with Starlink, while Movistar Venezuela said it had activated three free wifi connection points in refuges in Catia La Mar, Maiquetía and a sector near the airport, deployed two mobile units to Playa Grande and Los Corales, and enabled Starlink Mobile to send text messages.
What follows now is not a new shock count but the same unresolved test: whether the promised relocation to Los Caracas becomes real for the people still sleeping in the street. For José Guillén and Juan Jiménez, the answer decides whether recovery means a bed indoors or another night on the pavement.
