SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Venezuela is struggling to cope with the destruction of a powerful double earthquake that struck three days ago. The quakes hit within a minute of each other causing widespread destruction just north of Caracas. The government says more than 900 people have been killed and more than 3,000 injured. Thousands more are still missing. International search and rescue teams are arriving, but limited equipment and an overstretched health system have slowed the response. In some areas, residents are using their bare hands to dig for survivors. John Otis has just arrived in Caracas overnight. John, thanks so much for being with us.
JOHN OTIS: Thanks for having me, Scott.
SIMON: You have been to Caracas many times before. What were your first impressions as you came in this time?
OTIS: Yeah. Well, the fact is we had to drive in all the way from the Colombian border into Caracas, and that's quite telling because, you know, the international airport just outside of the city was badly damaged in the earthquake, and it remains close. So we really had no other way to get here. And as for Caracas, many areas were spared, but parts of some neighborhoods, like Altamira, were devastated.
(SOUNDBITE OF CHAINSAW RUNNING)
OTIS: Now, that's the sound of rescue workers using a chainsaw to cut a tunnel through the remains of this high-rise apartment building that collapsed. Nearby were piles of mangled rebar and a crushed car. For their part, many survivors of quake-damaged buildings are too scared to sleep indoors, and so they're camping in the Altamira park. I saw one couple curled up in blankets sleeping with their pet poodle next to a sculpture in the park. For me, this is an especially surreal sight. Altamira's this beautiful upscale neighborhood. I've stayed here on previous reporting trips, and it's just really sad to see.
SIMON: John, that critical window of 48 to 72 hours to find survivors is obviously closing. Aid is arriving from abroad and locally, but is it enough?
OTIS: Well, while we were driving into Caracas, we passed convoy after convoy of aid trucks trying to get to the disaster zone. But one problem is that the government lacks heavy equipment, like bulldozers and backhoes. That's partly why you see a lot of average folks taking matters into their own hands. One of them is Carlos Ramirez (ph), a lawyer whose aunt and cousin were in that high-rise that collapsed.
CARLOS RAMIREZ: (Non-English language spoken).
OTIS: So he's wearing a yellow helmet and gloves, and he's saying that he's been here for the past three days, helping to remove debris and also praying that his loved ones somehow survive.
SIMON: John, what's the government's response been so far?
OTIS: Acting President Delcy Rodriguez and her team appear to be doing what they can with very limited resources, but these limitations are also the government's own fault. Remember, Rodriguez took power after U.S. troops ousted President Nicolás Maduro back in January. And she was Maduro's vice president as well as a big, big cheerleader for his authoritarian regime for many years, and that regime ended up strangling the country's democracy and badly mismanaging its economy. One reason there's a shortage of heavy equipment is because so many Venezuelan factories have shut down. Hospitals were defunded, and now they lack everything from antibiotics to, in some cases, even running water. Rescue workers and firefighters lack protective gear. So in the end, previous mistakes are making it a lot harder for the government to deal with this ongoing disaster.
SIMON: John Otis in Caracas. Thank you so much.
OTIS: Thanks, Scott. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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