A rescue team assists Hernan Gil, a survivor of Venezuela's twin earthquakes, on July 2, eight days after the quake.In addition to caring for survivors, the country's medical workers are facing a range of issues in the state of La Guaira, which was devastated by the disaster.
Federico Parra/AFP/via Getty Images hide caption When the first earthquake hit, Luz Noguera was in the shower.Noguera, 36, grabbed her keys, forced the door open and ran out into the street in a panic.Her first thoughts were for her kids and family members, and their immediate safety.
Then, it was survival."We gathered on the main road and stayed there," she says."It started to rain, the electricity went out and there was no cell service, no way to contact our families.
We spent the whole night in the street."The last thing on Noguera's mind was her asthma medication — still in a bag on her nightstand.The numbers following the June 24 earthquakes trace a devastating outline: At least 3,535 dead, with thousands more missing.And some 16,700 injured.As hopes fade of live rescues from the rubble, health workers have turned their focus to the living.
With an estimated 18,000 people now homeless, doctors must face a new wave of health issues — the kind that happen when thousands of people are suddenly displaced in the heat, the rain and the dust."We're seeing diarrhea, respiratory infections — skin diseases, because they're exposed to the sun for many hours," says Dr.Eduardo Celades, a senior health adviser for UNICEF.Dehydration.
Asthma attacks.Sunburn.
The ailments of normally healthy people, who no longer have easy access to their medications, regular meals, or running water."As well, there will be risks of outbreaks — like for example measles, respiratory infections.This is going to be our priority," Celades tells NPR.For stories about life in our changing wor...