Hope in Venezuela

There are many things humans cannot control: time, the past, others’ opinions, and most importantly for this story, the weather. The world is filled with a wide variety of climates and ecosystems that are constantly evolving. With that come many positive things: skiing in the mountains, swimming in the tropics, and paragliding in the wind are some of them. On the other side, the unmanageable nature of the climate also has a lot of downsides, including natural disasters. No matter the location, a natural disaster can occur. Recently, Venezuela was struck by twin earthquakes “measuring 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale”, and the effects were brutal (Ziemer and Ruelas). Instead of simply sulking in the aftermath, the country has begun to recover and regroup, and out of that, a few wonderful stories have come about.

At around six PM on June 24, 2026, Dayana Patiño found herself washing dishes in her eighth-story apartment with her 18-day-old son, Juan David Trujillo, next to her. A few minutes later, a few small tremors, or at least she thought that was all they were, rattled her apartment. Out of instinct, she grabbed hold of her son moments before the building came tumbling down. Trapped under massive amounts of furniture and rubble, the only thing keeping her going, as she told BBC, was the thought that “As long as [her son] was alive, [she] was going to be alive…” (Cuddy and Madi). 32 hours later, rescuers, including her brother, uncovered them. While Patiño suffered quite a few injuries to her legs, her son came out with very minimal harm done. Together, the two are now recovering with the support of family and friends in La Guaira, Venezuela.

Sadly, humans were not the only things impacted by the earthquake. In the ocean town of Caraballeda, rescuers worked tirelessly to save anyone and everyone they could find. While the work was strenuous and tiresome, moments such as finding Giselle, a puppy, after five hours of searching, were rewarding. Photos at the scene caught Giselle thanking rescuers with cuddles and kisses, an act of appreciation that brought joy to the exhausted individuals. Now, the search to find Giselle’s owner is still underway. No specific updates have been disclosed; however, with Giselle safely guarded, the hope that they will find the individual continues.

After that day, rescue teams had to continue their search with unpredictable and unstable conditions, and with every second meaning a lower chance of survival, the race to discover anyone was on. That is why, when they found six-year-old Buddy, another dog, eight days after the earthquakes, everyone was ecstatic. Throughout the entire search, Buddy’s owner had taken a step into action. According to abc.net.au, “She kept returning to the ruins every other day, calling his name into the silence[,]” and while it seemed hopeless at times, she always had a feeling deep within that he was still out there (Flemming).

46 days ago, the twin earthquakes struck Venezuela, resulting in around “$19.6 billion (€17.2bn) worth of direct physical damage” (Lahiri). Moments like these show how quickly things can go awry, and how, as humans, we can only control so much; however, not sulking on these thoughts can shift the results afterwards. If the rescuers were not hopeful and united, Patiño, Juan, Giselle, and Buddy would not have been found, and their stories would not be told. So, even while being positive can be hard during certain circumstances, finding it will lead to more good coming about, and right now, that is exactly what Venezuela needs from the rest of the world.