Venezuelan Authorities Give Las Tejerías Tragedy Update: 43 dead, 56 Missing

President Maduro directed relevant authorities to deliver financial aid through the Patria System to families affected by the landslide.

This Tuesday, October 11, President Nicolás Maduro reported that nearly 50 deaths and 56 missing persons have been recorded to date after torrential rains caused a landslide in Las Tejerías, Santos Michelena municipality, Aragua state.

From Miraflores, Caracas, the president explained that a study was carried out using satellite images and drones from before and after the tragedy in Las Tejerías. “Venezuela has accumulated experience and scientific knowledge, given that we have a large mountainous area around the entire country, and that means that in the rainy season, these areas develop specific risk characteristics.”

ALBA-TCP Shows Solidarity with Venezuela After Landslide in Las Tejerías

Maduro ordered the delivery of a special voucher through the Patria System for the families affected by the landslide in Las Tejerías. The voucher has already begun to be deposited “to give people a financial instrument of income to cope.” Similarly, he ordered the accompaniment with food, water and cleaning tasks.

The president highlighted the moral strength of the people of Las Tejerías. “We were there accompanying the people in their pain, in their struggle, in their resistance and in their hope.”

President Maduro warned that tropical wave number 43 is approaching Venezuela. “In Las Tejerías, it rained in five hours the amount it should have rained in a month,” he said.

“I am alerting our people to take preventive measures, to take care of themselves and their neighbors, their community. Solidarity and love are what save us, what guide us and take us forward,” he highlighted. “All the love I saw in the eyes of the people yesterday, all the energy, strength of resistance.”

Maduro noted that the Presidential Command Post is working 24 hours a day coordinating security, food, public services, reconstruction work, and care for merchants and those who lost a family member.

“Las Tejerías will be reborn from pain, from tragedy, from disaster and will shine again in life, in peace,” Maduro said.

Cleaning work
The president ordered the cleaning work to be accelerated in order to release all the sediments in Las Tejerías while urging all political, civil and military authorities to abide by the sole authority for the care of Las Tejerías, General Juan Sulbarán Quintero.

Maduro also instructed Vice President Delcy Rodríguez to establish logistical coordination with General Juan Sulbarán Quintero in order to guarantee the increase of machinery, trucks and workforce for the cleaning days.

“You have to release all the sediments, you have to do it well and quickly because we are in the rainy season. We set ourselves a goal: 72 hours to clean all the surrounding areas. The goal must be met; more machinery, more trucks must go in immediately,” he said.

Concerning the cleaning work, Minister for Public Works and Services Néstor Reverol explained that more than 1,000 workers are still deployed in eight service fronts to intervene on main roads, four streams and the transversal axis of the Tuy River, in which 17 machines are now located.

“We are responding with 32 machineries, 18 dump trucks and 25 teams with various functions to attend to the eight work fronts,” said Reverol, who noted the activation of a special team for cleaning houses.

Regarding waste collection, Reverol explained that “we have already coordinated with the mayor of Santos Michelena and the mayors of neighboring municipalities to collect garbage at night so as not to affect the search and rescue efforts for the missing.”

Solidarity
President Maduro reported that more than 100 tons of food have been received in all the collection centers to provide support to the people of Las Tejerías.

“I want to thank our people for their solidarity with Las Tejerías (…) Venezuela appreciates expressions of solidarity and support from the peoples of the world (…) Venezuela gives love and solidarity and receives love and solidarity from the entire world,” he emphasized.

Maduro highlighted the role of people’s power, which was vital to save lives and provide first aid. “Today we have a mighty people’s power, street leaders, community leaders, leaders in Units of Battle Hugo Chávez.”

Canine Unit Helps Rescue Teams Detect Vital Signs in Las Tejerías

“Let’s not allow anyone to use pain to politicize and campaign against Venezuela. (…) Let’s go down the path of good, of truth, of solidarity, and let’s turn pain into hope and hope into life,” he urged.

Assessment
While in Las Tejerías, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez updated the death toll, reporting that the number of fatalities rose to 43.

She also reported that:

The entire main road of Las Tejerías is free of sediment.
95% of electricity has been recovered.
8 out of the 19 water wells have been recovered.

The vice president announced that the national government will provide credits for the recovery of industries and businesses in Las Tejerías.

Affected homes
The Minister for Habitat and Housing, Ildemaro Villarroel, offered an overview of the structural damage to homes as a result of the landslide and flooding in Las Tejerías:

757 homes have been affected.
123 homes are currently in a risk zone.
317 homes were totally destroyed.

Villarroel reported that 442 families were affected and placed in the following shelters: Hugo Chávez vertical gym in La Vitoria and the Vertical gym in La Encrucijada.

Basin study
The Minister for Planning, Ricardo Menéndez, explained that the study of the basins in various sectors of the Aragua state has been developed consistently.

He explained that, in the area of Las Tejerías, records of this type have been presented with lesser incidence.

To date, floods and torrential landslides have been reported in the past; however, there is no record of events of this magnitude.

#EnVideo📹| Mtro. para la Planificación, Ricardo Menéndez destacó que, dada la crisis climática, se están acelerando los flujos de lluvias que pueden afectar diferentes espacios, poblaciones y ciudades.#LasTejeríasRenacerá pic.twitter.com/CsSsOETCPX
— VTV CANAL 8 (@VTVcanal8) October 11, 2022

Minister for Science, Technology, Education and Health Gabriela Jiménez maintained that these phenomena, which present extreme discharges of water in very little time, are associated with the climate crisis.

She highlighted that by using satellite images and a map of the Las Tejerías sector dating from 1980, it was possible to observe the growth of the population in an unplanned way, occupying the spaces related to the basin. “These phenomena of large amounts of water, such as La Niña, increase, of course, the vulnerability and risk in construction. Due to this, the risk management methodology and policy began through Commander Hugo Chávez and you, President, are calling us to continuity and early warning.”

#EnVideo📹| Vpdta. Sectorial de Ciencia, Tecnología, Educación y Salud, @Gabrielasjr indicó que desde el estudio y la experiencia estos fenómenos que también están asociados a la crisis climática que se vive, presentan acciones extremas de descargas de agua.#LasTejeríasRenacerá pic.twitter.com/QDnZmpzrEi
— VTV CANAL 8 (@VTVcanal8) October 11, 2022

Meanwhile, Minister for Ecosocialism Josué Lorca added that thanks to the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology and Civil Protection, they have supplied a history of the last event that occurred in the Los Patos stream, on October 12, 1989, in which a flood affected five houses in the El Béisbol sector.

“The closest we have is the landslide of 2010, in which flooding also affected the sectors of La Arenera del Béisbol and Antonio José de Sucre, leaving an average of 700 homes affected,” he pointed out.

(Ultimas Noticias) by Carlos Eduardo Sánchez

Translation: Orinoco Tribune

OT/FV/SF