Earthquake survivors cherish kindness of strangers

LA GUAIRA, Venezuela — Lines to receive aid in Venezuela's La Guaira get longer every day, as people left homeless by two horrific earthquakes last week have nowhere else to go.

Ordinary Venezuelans have taken matters into their own hands following the twin tremors that killed almost 2,000 people and affected over 15,000 more, according to official figures.

Donations and volunteers from across the country have swept into the hardest-hit state of La Guaira, which authorities have declared a "disaster zone".

Private vehicles distribute everything from water and food to toilet paper and soap, while trucks belonging to the World Central Kitchen NGO trundle through the coastal city.

"Without this I don't know what we would do," said Nataly Cardona, 24, who escaped her apartment alive but is now forced to stay on the street.

With every passing hour, it becomes a little trickier to find food and water in the markets of La Guaira, which was decimated by the June 24 quakes.

"We spend as many hours as we have to, depending on how much we need it," said Raoni Izaguirre, who had been standing in line for an hour under the blazing sun.

Izaguirre, who was taken in by a relative after losing his home, told Agence France-Presse that the donations were indispensable.

Those who did not lose everything are out in full force to help residents who were not as lucky.

"I feel guilty about eating, because every time I eat I think there's someone who has nothing to eat," said Aysmar Lopez, a young woman bringing home-cooked meals to several shelters.

'Pink Brigade'

Doctors and vets have also arrived in La Guaira to help.

Kerlis Artigas, 30, is a physician who came from another state as part of the "Pink Brigade", a team of medical specialists and students caring for the injured and donating much-needed medication.

The group, identifiable by their pink armbands, spent Tuesday talking to people staying in an improvised shelter on a golf course, where mobile medical facilities staffed by doctors from Mexico, Italy, El Salvador and elsewhere are also operating.

High blood pressure, nervous breakdowns, respiratory problems, fever and dehydration are among the most common ailments at the site housing hundreds, according to several doctors consulted.

As medical teams flooded into La Guaira to treat the living, rescuers achieved what many feared impossible. A 3-year-old boy, identified as Klieber Moran, was rescued on Tuesday after being trapped for six days in rubble, authorities reported.

"Klieber's life is a source of hope for our people," acting president Delcy Rodriguez said, adding that the operation to save the young survivor was carried out by a rescue team from Jordan. The boy was then transported for specialized emergency medical care.

AGENCIES-XINHUA