Juan Barreto, Bureau Chief Venezuela & LATAM. — Tragedy once again reminds us that nature has no ideology, but residential areas and construction materials certainly do. Today, thousands of our fellow citizens have lost their homes in working-class neighborhoods and middle-class communities alike. Fragile homes in areas that already faced serious risks now lie torn apart and uninhabitable. Roofs, beams, and other structures in poor neighborhoods and residential developments have collapsed. Many buildings constructed under the Great Housing Mission, which were poorly built because they were intended for low-income people, can no longer house anyone.
Someone must accept responsibility, and any call for national unity must be accompanied by the humility and self-criticism of those who have acted corruptly, inefficiently, and irresponsibly. Venezuela must move forward together, but not through naïve gestures that ultimately shield those who have never cared about the people and who never accept the consequences of their actions. National unity requires acknowledging responsibility.
This is also the time for a calm assessment, free from any desire for retaliation, yet fully committed to identifying and assigning responsibility. Most Venezuelans live in working-class neighborhoods, and every one of those communities has suffered damage—some of them catastrophic. The tragedy has damaged stairways, retaining walls, and countless shared public spaces.
Official statements, automatic expressions of solidarity, and good intentions will not solve this crisis. The country needs action. Mayors, governors, ministers, and political leaders must place themselves in the people’s position and respond with empathy. Beyond demagoguery and inflammatory speeches aimed at protecting personal interests and political ambitions, the needs of the people must come first.
Authorities must conduct a comprehensive damage assessment. Teams must inspect every home to determine the condition of the countless houses that have become uninhabitable. Engineers must also examine the many Great Housing Mission buildings that were hurriedly constructed and that were compromised by poor-quality materials from the very beginning.
This is not about settling scores or seeking revenge. It is about acting with maturity, responsibility, composure, sound judgment, and a true sense of duty. For that reason, we call for calm, cooperation, and an end to the politicization of this crisis. At the same time, those responsible must answer for their actions. Authorities should remove incompetent officials from office, launch a thorough investigation into the neglect that has plagued our neighborhoods and cities, and implement every corrective measure this tragedy demands.
The people must remain at the center of every solution. Public discourse should never revolve around promoting any political figure. This is not about a government determined to stay in power or an opposition determined to take its place. This is about people fighting to survive and reclaim their quality of life.
In that spirit, we call on every Venezuelan to act with mutual respect, cooperation, and the boundless solidarity that has always defined the people of Venezuela. We also call on public officials to set aside demagoguery, theatrics, grandstanding, and political calculation, and instead accept the responsibilities that belong to them. This tragedy offers Venezuela an opportunity to reunite around responsibility, efficiency, and transparency.
