‘Terrible’: Coping with the aftermath of Venezuela’s earthquakes | Stories About Earthquakes

Caracas, Venezuela Just over a week after two earthquakes rocked Venezuela, the country is just beginning to deal with the crisis.

As of Friday, 2,645 people have been confirmed dead after two consecutive earthquakes struck within a minute on June 24, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 respectively.

Broken roads. Buildings were demolished. And thousands of lives were changed forever.

About 38,500 people are missing, the death toll is expected to rise significantly. The Venezuelan government says it has ordered 10,000 bags to store dead bodies, according to the United Nations.

But the search is not over, and rescue teams from all over the world are fighting the desolate mountains, driven by the endless hope of finding survivors.

Those rescuers are joined by local volunteers, armed with hammers, picks and shovels. Many work late into the night.

In the coastal city of La Guaira, one of the worst affected areas, many high-rise buildings are in ruins. A Caribbean storm wafts the stench of rotting corpses over the city, while vultures circle overhead.

People who live on the streets just stand on the streets, watching the hunt. Some pray for a miracle. Others look forward to the opportunity to bury their loved ones.

With thousands of people unable to return home, parks and public squares have turned into makeshift tent villages.

Among the refugees, grief has turned to anger, as some criticize the government for building shoddy housing and failing to enforce safety standards.

He also criticizes the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, which has ruled the country for over 2,000 years, for building a corrupt system that has failed to provide the necessary government support needed to address this dire crisis.

Leftist President Delcy Rodriguez has defended the government’s response, denying that it would have acted sooner.

Survivors spoke to Al Jazeera about their experiences during the disaster, how they felt about the government’s response and how they are coping today.