Grian Serrano, a 46-year-old Venezuelan merchant, is now homeless, his apartment building in Caraballeda reduced to rubble. He survived two powerful earthquakes that struck La Guaira, pulling his 8-year-old son and 69-year-old mother from the debris with his bare hands. Bruised and disoriented, Serrano's harrowing escape is one story among thousands in a disaster that has claimed over 1,700 lives and injured more than 5,000, according to government figures.
Hundreds of buildings collapsed or suffered severe damage, primarily in La Guaira, with significant destruction also reported in Caracas and the states of Carabobo, Miranda, Aragua, and Yaracuy. Serrano, who lost everything, now stays at his brother’s home in Caracas. He won't return to La Guaira. "That’s twice now," he stated, referring to a previous disaster. "Sometimes I think if there’s a third time, it’s going to win the battle."
Decades of Neglect
La Guaira, known as Vargas until 2019, holds immense strategic importance for the Venezuelan economy. It's the nation’s second-smallest state, located just 30 kilometers north of Caracas, hosting the country’s main international airport and its second-largest seaport. Yet, its roughly 440,000 residents are largely low-income, their livelihoods tied to tourism, commerce, and jobs at these vital transportation hubs. The very infrastructure meant to serve capital accumulation has proven deadly for the working class who inhabit its periphery.
Ángel Rangel, a disaster specialist and former director of Venezuela’s Civil Protection agency, pointed to the structural failures. He explained that the collapsed buildings in La Guaira were constructed on terrain formed over centuries by sediment from surrounding mountains. Such ground is "particularly risky for construction." Rangel emphasized that building in these areas demands "strict adherence to seismic-resistant engineering standards," protocols adopted after the powerful 1967 earthquake that devastated Caracas. Many of the buildings that crumbled in La Guaira were erected in the 1970s. It remains unclear if they ever met those crucial safety standards. This failure to enforce or adhere to established safety measures represents a systemic disregard for human life in favor of unchecked development.
A History of Precarious Living
For Serrano, the recent terror brought back stark memories of December 15, 1999. On that day, he was jolted awake by screams as a nearby river overflowed after days of heavy rain. He watched from his fourth-floor apartment as the swollen river swept away trees, massive boulders, and vehicles containing trapped people. Instinct drove him to flee with his mother, sister, and nanny, climbing to the roof as floodwaters consumed the lower floors. The family eventually navigated through mud and debris to his grandparents’ home.
The 1999 floods and landslides, infamously known as the "Vargas Tragedy," killed 782 people, left 2,000 missing, and affected approximately 250,000 residents, according to Rangel. Serrano believes La Guaira, bordered by the Caribbean Sea and the Ávila mountain range, is under a curse. "It isn’t normal for such horrible things to happen in the same place," he said. However, the recurring devastation points not to a curse, but to a consistent pattern of state and capital prioritizing profit and development over the safety and well-being of the working class. The strategic importance of the region has not translated into secure housing for its low-income inhabitants, only into repeated tragedy.