"I thought I was going to faint": Venezuelan recounts the terror experienced during the two earthquakes
· Telemundo McAllen (KTLM)
A Venezuelan mother shared with Telemundo 51 the terror she experienced when two powerful earthquakes shook Venezuela. Stephanie Cardona, a resident of Caracas, was with her son in Plaza Los Palos Grandes when the tremors began. 'Suddenly, I felt two or three jolts. I asked the kids, “Do you feel what’s happening?” and they said no. I thought I was going to faint because I started feeling dizzy. Then came a roar. I wanted to grab my son, run out, and I began to pray the Our Father, screaming and crying,' she recounted. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the first quake occurred at 6:04 p.m. near San Felipe with a magnitude of 7.2. Just a minute later, a second earthquake of magnitude 7.5 was recorded near Yumare, with the epicenters located about 45 kilometers apart. As she walked from Los Palos Grandes to La Castellana, Cardona noted the destruction left by the quake. 'I saw buildings without walls, collapses, and everyone in the street. There were elderly people, entire families, all very scared,' she reported. The uncertainty, she says, increased due to the lack of official information during the first minutes of the emergency. 'We are informing each other among Venezuelans. What I’ve seen has been through Instagram, X, and WhatsApp groups. We send each other photos, videos, and messages to know how everyone is. Official information is very scarce,' she explained. Cardona noted that, according to what she learned through social media, rescue and Civil Defense teams began working on a building that reportedly collapsed, while authorities assessed the extent of the damage. Although she managed to communicate with her family and friends, Cardona says the fear remains. 'Thank God everyone I know is fine, but the fright was huge. There are people who may have lost their homes and buildings that will probably have to be demolished,' she stated.
AI summary · Source: Telemundo McAllen (KTLM) →
