Vanessa Davies
The June 24 earthquakes were followed by the closure of La Guaira’s beaches. The state’s governor, José Alejandro Terán, explained that conditions did not allow recreational activities to resume while rescue workers continued searching for victims and heavy machinery worked around damaged buildings.
But there is another side to the story: beach workers who depend on what visitors spend in the area. Those who rent out canopies and chairs, restaurant workers, and street vendors selling necklaces and “rompecolchón” were left in limbo after the earthquakes. Some have tried to reinvent themselves and temporarily sell their goods elsewhere. That is the case of Jesús Martínez, who normally works in Camurí Chico but, because of the emergency, decided to sell sunglasses around the Misión Vivienda buildings that collapsed behind Los Cocos beach.
Faced with situations like Martínez’s, the La Guaira Chamber of Commerce stands by its position: the beaches must reopen to guarantee income and also bring some peace to a population already overwhelmed by deaths and collapsed buildings.
Conditions are right
“You don’t understand why the beaches are closed when these people need to be working. Emotionally, we need somewhere to go, and if there’s anything that soothes your soul, it’s the sea, it’s the beach,” argues Cipriana Ramos, first vice president of the Chamber.
For Ramos, “the conditions are right. Who says they aren’t? Where is the machinery that’s supposedly working? You gradually recover from grief. We all carry grief inside us, and little by little, you recover.”
The risk of unemployment remains, as a study conducted by the business association shows: half of the companies will not be able to retain their workforce in the coming months.
Starting with Macuto
Activities along the Paseo de Macuto have gradually begun to resume. Businesses have tried to get back on their feet, and restaurants and other establishments can once again be seen with their shutters up. Shirley Camarán, a director of the Chamber of Commerce, believes this could be one of the places where authorities begin reopening the beaches.
“I would support a partial reopening of the Paseo de Macuto, with one of its best-known beaches. They should consider a pilot plan that, if successful, could serve as a model for many others,” she stressed.
Camarán acknowledges that the idea of having fun in La Guaira is a sensitive issue “because you’re promoting enjoyment against the backdrop of so many people’s tragedy, but it’s even more troubling to think that those families who made their living on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays will have to leave La Guaira.”
