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Hundreds of families displaced after the double earthquake that struck Venezuela on June 24 have been sleeping in the streets of Caraballeda for ten days, with the government of Nicolás Maduro failing to fulfill its promise of relocating them, according to reports the EFE agency.
This Saturday, a group of residents blocked the main access road to Caraballeda to demand their transfer to the hotel complex of Las Caracas, a destination that authorities had promised them as temporary shelter, which still had not materialized by the tenth day.
«We have already had more than ten days of children, adults, out there on the street,» declared to EFE José Guillén, 32 years old, a resident of the OPPE 30 building, a white tower of 13 floors with 192 apartments where about 300 people lived.
The building still stands, but its interiors are completely destroyed. In the adjacent street, children play and draw on the ground while families wait, surrounded by refrigerators, stoves, and the few belongings they managed to salvage. Inside, two corpses still remain.
Juan Jiménez, who lived on the fourth floor and was able to recover some belongings after the earthquake, encapsulated the collective despair with a straightforward question: "Where is the Government? What we want is at least for them to come and say: get on the buses."
After the protests and the roadblock, four police trucks arrived at noon this Saturday to take the families to a temporary shelter.
The Tupamara collectives, groups affiliated with the government, participated alongside security forces in the evacuation of women, men, children, and pets.
The situation of the residents of Caraballeda reflects a broader humanitarian crisis. Authorities estimate that 15,000 people have been left homeless due to the double earthquake, which registered magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, occurring just 39 seconds apart.
The official balance as of the end of this week rises to 2,954 deceased and over 16,000 injured, with 885 buildings affected and 189 completely collapsed. The UN estimates that up to 50,000 people could be missing under the rubble.
Among those who still have nowhere to go is Belkys Chacón, who was caught along with her husband by the earth during the first tremor while she was attending her candy stall on the beach. Since then, they have been living in the open, without a mattress or a clear destination.
The regime's response has been widely questioned. The NGO Provea denounced that the 14,000 soldiers and police deployed focused on maintaining public order rather than ensuring essential services such as drinking water, food, or basic rest items.
The acting president Delcy Rodríguez declared seven days of national mourning starting on July 2 and promised new housing for the affected before the end of 2026, but for hundreds of families in Caraballeda, that promise still remains unfulfilled ten days after the disaster.
Internationally, more than 30 countries are involved in rescue efforts with around 3,600 specialists and over 1,000 tons of humanitarian aid, while the UN estimates direct physical damages at 37 billion dollars, equivalent to 6% of Venezuela's gross domestic product.
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