00:02Two months after the double earthquake that rocked Venezuela, La Guayra continues to pulse with the
00:07life of its people. At the very epicenter of the disaster, the gaze and the embrace of a Venezuelan
00:12mother remained as what it means to start over, to find strength amid its daily course and the
00:18immensity of the sea. Lista Vera takes us on a journey to discover this story of courage.
00:25Right here on this stretch of Green Beach, the earthquake left indelible marks. Norlies was
00:29born here, in a house reduced to rubble in a matter of seconds. Amid the remnants that have become
00:34memories, she relives the moment of the collapse. I fell, a column fell from the store, but the
00:42concrete from the column fell off. Oh my god, the debris didn't hit me in the head. Anyway,
00:50I got back on my feet and grabbed hold of the edge of the table tightly, and the table was
00:54rocking
00:55back and forth, and I couldn't stop looking toward my house because I knew my daughter was there.
01:07So, in that moment of desperation, I fell to my knees under the table
01:13with my head tucked down like this, and I was looking up.
01:16My daughter was yelling at me. I honestly didn't hear her screams, but she kept calling out,
01:21Mom!
01:26From the foundations of what used to be her balcony, she still has a view of the Caribbean
01:30and something essential, the motor of her boat, a key component she's counting on to resume her work.
01:40This is the yo-yo that goes on top, and that's why it's so rusty. As soon as water gets
01:44on it,
01:44it rusts. I was able to take it apart piece by piece. This is the leg, this is the housing,
01:51and this is the motor cover. And this beautiful view I used to have for my house here. I'd stand
01:59here
01:59on my little boat and look over there, and that's what I lose, really. I love my Guayra. And I
02:04love
02:05my beach because I've lived here my whole life. Solidarity also came through social media. Cindy
02:13traveled from Aragua State to Playa Verde to deliver supplies directly and show that support between
02:17communities never stops. I met Noraly's because, well, we left on the 25th and went to my husband's
02:27parents' house in Vila de Cura. And with social media, that was my only way to find out how my
02:31neighborhood was doing and all that. She'd posted on social media that she'd lost the motor from the
02:38boat she'd taken out to collect 80 points. So I took it very personally because where I was,
02:43we saw those houses collapse and Jerrel was falling. So I took it very personally because,
02:50well, I remember it exactly. And she was one of the inspirations for the song I wrote about the
02:54humble house on the beach, those houses. Right across the street on Vecito Beach,
03:07her store now serves as a temporary shelter. It's a workspace from which she's reorganizing her home
03:12while continuing to sell fresh fish. What's that fish called? That's the tuna. I also have
03:20needlefish and oceanic tuna, which is also tuna, and this is a dormilona. Do you sell those here?
03:31Yes, I sell them here by the kilo, at least the whole fish I sell that way. I also sell
03:35by the kilo
03:36needlefish, which is the peon. I can fillet it into rounds. Norliz embodies the determination of a
03:43coastline that refuses to give up. Amid debris removal and ongoing commercial activity, La Guayra
03:48is moving forward with its reconstruction, supported by the resilience of its people.
03:54Two months after the twin earthquakes, recovery is progressing in the capital and along the central
03:58coast. The national government has reported that more than 600,000 metric tons of debris have been
04:03cleared. 3091 homes have been delivered and more than 13,000 are undergoing rehabilitation through the
04:09Venezuela Renese Plan. Filmed by José Luis Precheño, Luis Tevera, Telesur, La Guayra, Venezuela.
Comments