Good morning to all users of the platform. Today, Saturday, June 27, I’m back here to stay in touch and continue keeping you informed about what’s currently happening and the rescue efforts we’ve organized here in the area.
Yesterday we were without power for several hours; however, despite connectivity issues, we were able to communicate with one another and thus go out into the streets to organize our relief efforts and collection centers.
Although obstacles have been placed in the way of the relief collection centers because government agencies want to take control of the organization, 24 hours after the disaster, the authorities still hadn’t shown up at the sites; there was still no contingency plan, much less a plan to help the victims. I thank God and all Venezuelans for having such big hearts and for doing our part to help these brothers and sisters who find themselves in a much more difficult situation than we are here in this area—even though there are also many people affected here and several vulnerable areas due to these earthquakes. We are empathetic enough to put ourselves in the shoes of those who have lost family members and whose homes have been completely destroyed.
We have seen in some videos how the authorities are seizing food and medical supplies, as well as some clothing and toys that have been sent directly to this coast of La Guaira.
Here in Punta de Mata, we organized ourselves (it’s worth noting that we have no support from any government or law enforcement agency) so that each of us could contribute a donation of food or medicine, as well as raise money to cover the cost of a truck that was provided by several local investors.
Clothing stores, bakeries, appliance stores, and even motorcycle repair shops showed up at the site to show their support.
It is unprecedented and impossible to ignore that it was we, the civilians, who took this initiative long before any statement or organization emerged from any civil protection agency.
But once we had the organization in place and the supplies ready to go—and with the help of many friends, which was extremely useful both for the collection and for organizing and packing all these supplies to then load them onto the truck for shipment—we were able to proceed.
Since I was working here to help, I wasn’t able to take enough photos, let alone photos of myself, as this is also a rather uncomfortable issue—given that we’ve seen people on social media unfairly profiting from this situation without providing any information or help that’s actually useful. So I was quite embarrassed to take out my cell phone and document what was happening. These were the photos I was able to take, simply to have physical proof of what happened and the help we’ve provided.
I want to thank all my friends who have helped make sure I have enough flour and who have sent me some money to help with the problem with the roof of my house. Today I’m rolling up my sleeves and getting to work. Without this, yesterday I gave my mother some money so she could go to the city of Maturín and stay with my aunt and my cousins so she can relax, feel much safer, and—above all—be in the company of my cousins —which I know is much better for her than being here at home with me, fearful for our own safety.
This was my financial contribution to buy a full package of Pan flour;
This help was provided thanks to my friends on the platform; they know who they are, and I don’t think I need to disclose their usernames here.
Help sometimes comes in this kind of package—one we don’t need to show to others.
However, I’m making this post to continue raising awareness and also to explain to you what I’ve done and how I’ve used the funds that have been sent to me, since I understand the magnitude of the disaster and, above all, can assess the level of emergency faced by some other people.
We’re not sure if the supplies sent from here in this area—as well as from other surrounding areas—were sufficient.
Let’s hope that, little by little, we can continue to help these brothers who have fallen in battle and all those who are still fighting. I’ll keep you updated soon, but for now—since I haven’t slept in over 48 hours and I just got home at 7:45 a.m.—I plan to take a shower and try to get some sleep.
Source/Credits:
Images taken with my phone
Text translated by DeepL.
Screenshot show my bank acc transfer.
Thanks again for all the support
🫂🇻🇪
