Yohandra Puga Capote, an emergency nurse from Camagüey with 27 months of mission in Venezuela, was resting at home when at 6:10 PM on June 24, the ground began to shake.
What was experienced that day and the following ones is captured in a testimony published by the state-run newspaper Adelante, which tells a story of fear, despair, and uncertainty from the area most devastated by the double earthquake that shook Venezuela.
The two earthquakes, with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, occurred just 39 seconds apart and turned La Guaira into a scene of destruction: more than 250 buildings collapsed, the José María Vargas Hospital was destroyed, and the Maiquetía Airport had to close due to damage.
The official toll as of July 12 reached 4,490 dead and 16,740 injured, with over 17,000 people displaced, while international organizations estimated tens of thousands missing.
Yohandra recounted that she had never experienced anything like it in Cuba. However, she did not panic. "Fortunately, that day I didn't panic and reacted in time. I started calling my friends who live on the third floor of the house, and we ran out."
The first few minutes were filled with desperation, fear of another tremor, and great concern for all the Cubans in the area. People were running, crying, and shouting. I can tell you about it, but you have to experience it for yourself.
Along with their mission companions, they ran to the highest points of the city, following the directions of Venezuelan residents who feared that the sea would come in. After ten at night, all the Cuban collaborators gathered in the same location and stayed there until dawn.
He said that he couldn't get in touch with his family that night either. He thought about his 13-year-old twins, his mother, his sister, and his nephew. He didn't hear from them until 48 hours later, when he managed to inform them through a cousin who lives in another Venezuelan state.
"Once I spoke with them, the first thing they said was for me to come back. At that moment, I had to calm them from a distance, which is very difficult, but my duty now is in Venezuela," he recounted.
Since then, she claims that she hasn't stopped. She works at the Comprehensive Diagnostic Centers (CDI), caring for hospitalized individuals who have lost their homes, visiting shelters, and reaching out to affected communities. Her work isn't limited to treating physical wounds; she also provides emotional support to those who cannot find solace.
"If I have to tell you what I see in people, it is a lot of sadness, desperation, and uncertainty. I imagine they wonder what will become of them, how they will recover their homes, and how they will live with the loss of their loved ones. Sometimes I don’t know how to act because they are deeply affected."
What strikes the most are those who are still hoping to find a loved one alive among the rubble. "That's the most shocking part, everyone desperate to find their people and at least give them a dignified ending."
Cuba, which has had to return dozens of its doctors from Venezuela after the capture of Nicolás Maduro on January 3, responded to the disaster by sending the Henry Reeve Contingent in two groups on June 28 and 30, including surgeons, forensics experts, search dogs, and more than seven tons of equipment.
At least 32 Cubans were reported missing, concentrated in areas of La Guaira such as Caraballeda, Catia La Mar, and Los Corales, and the MINREX confirmed the deaths of several compatriots, including the girl Vanessa Martínez.
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