Venezuelans living in Ireland have called on Irish people to support the humanitarian efforts under way following two massive earthquakes in the South American country.
At least 2,600 people were killed when twin earthquakes hit the countryâs northern coast on June 24th. Thousands more were left injured or homeless. The state of La Guaira was worst affected.
Yonelys Ainagas, who has lived in Ireland since 2013, said the people of Venezuela âare living through an unimaginable tragedyâ.
Speaking at a rally in St Stephenâs Green in Dublin on Saturday, Ainagas said: âFamilies have lost loved ones, thousands have been injured, and many have been left homeless, waiting for food, clean water, medical care and hope.â
Ainagas told The Irish Times that Venezuela will be largely reliant on international aid and called on Irish people to donate to reputable charities working on the ground in the country.
âEvery act of support, whether through humanitarian assistance, medical aid, emergency supplies, fundraising or simply raising awareness, can help save lives and bring hope to those who have lost everything.â
Alexa Hill, an Irish citizen, was on the phone to her mother when the earthquake struck last month.
âShe started to scream, and she started to tell me, âOh my God, there is an earthquakeâ,â Hill recalled. Her mother was not too close to the epicentre of the quakes and survived, but Hill said the phone call was terrifying.
âMy family is okay, my friends are okay, but I have friends here in Ireland that have had family that died,â she said.
Hill said it will be âvery hardâ for people in Venezuela to rebuild their lives. She said this would be difficult in any circumstance but will be particularly hard for people there due to the economic crisis.
The country has suffered from years of economic collapse, hyperinflation and corruption.
âVenezuela didnât have a proper healthcare [system] before this happened,â Hill said.
âVenezuela was suffering an economic crisis before this happened, people were not able to live properly in Venezuela. So, now imagine after this catastrophe has happened, how they are at the moment.â
Many Venezuelans have accused the government of being too slow to respond to the earthquakes.
âThere were civilians with their bare hands, pulling rubble and trying to get their loved ones to safety with nothing but ordinary shovels and buckets,â Vanessa Tabila, another Irish citizen, said.
Her immediate family is safe but some of her relatives, including two teenagers, are still missing and presumed dead.
Lisette Krol, who has lived in Ireland for 24 years, said she received a message from her mother on the day the earthquakes hit.
âMy mom [was] screaming, shaking, saying âI love youâ and things like that. So, it was really hard to receive a message like thatâ she said.
Her mother was in Caracas and thankfully survived, but Krol said she knows many people who died.
âSome of my friends and family, we still cannot find them. Some of them, unfortunately, passed away … Every day weâre receiving messages that more and more people havenât been found.â
[ Model homes with views of the sea â now reduced to rubbleOpens in new window ]
Krol runs Tribe Fitness Dance Studio in Dublin. She said her colleagues and students have helped to raise thousands of euro to buy medicine and other essentials for people in Venezuela.
Krol also encouraged people to donate to reputable international oragnisations or send money directly to people they know in Venezuela amid fears donations could be taken by the government and not spent on relief efforts.
More information on how to help can be found via the Venezuelan Community in Ireland group.
