Venezuelans in Calgary share stories of pain and resilience after massive earthquakes

Venezuelan expats living in Calgary are scrambling to get in touch with loved ones after two earthquakes killed nearly 200 people.

Frightening scenes kept Josué Ramírez up all night, scrambling to get in touch with family in Venezuela.

“Gladly we just got they reached out to us and they are good. They are safe,” Ramírez told CTV News.

The country was rocked by 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes Wednesday, killing at least 188 people and leaving more than 200 people trapped.

While relieved, Ramierz knows not everyone is as lucky. His close friend living in Calgary lost several friends and family members due to the earthquake.

“I tried to reach out to her, but she’s very, very sad,” Ramírez said. “It gave me goosebumps because it’s a situation that you don’t want to go through.”

Carolina De La Tore, who works the Venezuelan restaurant Arepas Ranch, has been in constant contact with relatives in the city of Caracas as they give her details of the destruction.

“We don’t have an emergency plan,” said De La Tore. “Now people are bringing the (construction) machinery to help people to get out of the of the building.”

The Venezuelan Canadian Association of Calgary was anticipating a joyous weekend with a planned festival at Eau Claire Plaza. Ramírez believes Saturday’s gathering now means so much more to the community, as proceeds from the event will be donated to Canadian Global Response, a charity that helps those impacted by natural disasters.

“We’re going to do whatever we can do as a community to support our families and relatives and friends in Venezuela,” he said.