The inhabitants of the upper area of “Río Claro”, Juares Parish in the Iribarren Municipality of Lara State, faced tragedy at dawn on October 9th, after the ravines that border that town overflowed their banks.
By La Patilla – Yanitza Martínez
Oct 30, 2022
The overflow was caused by the heavy rainfall recorded in the area and it devastated tenements, houses and roads of a parish that is located about 30 minutes away from the capital of Lara State.
Today, the residents of Río Claro, fortunately, are safe to tell the nightmare that they had to go through. They assure that they are still alive thanks to the fact that the rain storm was not very prolonged.
“If it had rained for about five hours, there would be nothing here,” commented one of the many affected among those who live in Guayamure, Palo Negro, Sol de Guayamure, and nearby areas. In the midst of the debris left by the overflowing ravine, they expressed their growing anguish, since it is still extremely dangerous to continue residing in those places.
More than 20 families from the town of Río Claro were left homeless and the few belongings they had in their homes were left under the rubble.
In the “La Escuela” sector, the “El Zanjón de la Escuela” ravine swept away the Parra family’s tenement, where six people lived: two adults, the grandmother and three children. This was described by Hermarys Parra, who with tears in her eyes narrated part of the minutes of terror that they had to live that morning, and that by a miracle they managed to escape death. They regret that they lost even their clothes.
Hermarys said that although she thanks God that she is alive, she was left with nothing and no resources to get up from this tragedy. The surprising downpour left the Parra family homeless, without any personal belongings or material possessions.
In the midst of the emergency they are living in the room of a relative, who also suffered a fracture during the flooding of the ravine.
The Invisible Rio Claro
All those who reside on this part of Lara State are on the lookout, but also live under uncertainty, especially those families who are still in danger because they live in these highly vulnerable areas.
La Patilla made a tour of the area to collect some testimonies from those affected. They claim to be “in God’s good graces” as they do not have any government help.
Little has been said about the conditions in which the families of Río Claro were left after that rainstorm. The dramatic situation seems to be invisible to the authorities of the regime in Lara, who have just sent a trickle of aid to these people.
Although it is true that when the emergency occurred, Lara’s Governor and the Mayor of the Iribarren Municipality deployed their social assistance and rescue teams throughout these sectors, but the help has not been enough.
In what the Chavista officials have certainly been very efficient was in showing pictures through social networks of part of the supplies to supposedly collaborate with those affected in Río Claro.
A “red bucket” with six food items was part of what these people received, others ran with a little more luck and managed to get some mattresses.
On this, Hermarys Parra, goes on telling that only once did they see the machine working in the overflowed ravine and, after that it has been the neighbors who have been in charge of “haphazardly channeling” the ravine to prevent the tragedy from repeating itself.
“The machine was no longer seen here and they have not told us anything about reallocating or rebuilding our houses,” she explained.
She also mentioned that some 20 more families from various sectors are suffering from the same calamity.
Among other things she specified that they asked the Chavista governor of Lara, Adolfo Pereira, to visit the affected areas and he apparently told them that he “could not go”. “When they need votes, they do come to town, but when the town needs them, they are not there,” she reproached.
Housing Institutes Do Not Show Up
In the “Palo Negro” sector, several houses were affected and fractured, many of them were left with practically only one livable room. Such is the case of Maribel Pérez, who mentioned that the landslide of the hill collapsed part of the living room and the kitchen, so there are only two rooms left where she cannot live because of the fractures they suffered.
Regarding aid, Pérez commented that they have learned that the Governor of Lara has sent aid, which has never reached that sector.
Regarding a possible reconstruction of their homes, the affected woman explained that they went to the mayor’s office of the Iribarren Municipality to request information and were told that the issue of housing is being handled through lists in which they would give priority to those most affected, but they have not gone to carry out the inspection.
Neighbors Saved An Octogenarian
María Luisa recounted the moments of anguish that her family experienced when the river ran over their house, where her 87-year-old mother was. She was rescued by neighbors who took her out of the house and carried her up the hill to save her.
“Here we take risks. A greater downpour and we would not be here to tell about it,” said María Luisa at the same time that she, together with her neighbors, cried out for government help.
In this sector, at least 17 families remain at risk. They ask the authorities for relocation or the construction of new houses.
NGOs Are Lifeline
The inhabitants of Río Claro have managed to cope with this dramatic situation thanks to the mercy of non-governmental organizations, foundations, the Catholic Church, the Evangelical Church, other political parties and civil society in general, who have joined forces and have brought non-perishable food, drinking water, household items, blankets, clothes and shoes.
The need of these people is such that they keep waiting for the trucks to come up with the aid, since the little that Chavismo has sent them, they “sectorize” it and, according to what they say, on several occasions the “manzaneras” (partisan street/block managers) have benefited from this aid.
Currently, the Río Claro Parish House serves as an aid collection center and through Cáritas they are in charge of receiving aid from these organizations.
The priest Daniel Piñango, parish priest of the Nuestra Señora del Pilar Church, said that for more than 15 days they have been working together with the parish community as a collection center to receive and distribute aid.
He mentioned that they are currently asking these foundations and organizations to donate pediatric medicines, since they have a large number of children affected by diarrhea, vomiting, and respiratory conditions.
The priest stressed that they have carried out the distribution of supplies in several communities. He mentioned that in the “La Buyual” sector there are six houses that were dragged away by the ravine, and these families have been assisted with food, clothing and medicines.
He said that in addition to bringing aid, they are evangelizing in the affected communities and carrying the Word of God as a balm that can calm the anguish that today drowns the hopes and faith of these “Larenses” (people of Lara) who feel ignored and abandoned by a government that improvises in the face of a contingency that requires coordinated actions with public policies of prevention against natural disasters.
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