Terremoto en La Guaira: 24 de junio 2026

English version on the previous post 

Escarbando para sacar a sus seres queridos

   

◉ Un señor, con las manos, escarba;  busca rescatar a su hijo y su sobrino, que todavía están enterrados. Ya sacó a su esposa, a su yerno y a un hermano. Todos fallecidos y aplastados entre los escombros. Ya lleva más de 25 días y todavía no ha terminado su labor. No tiene herramientas ni ayuda.

◉ Una señora pasó 19 horas aplastada y, ahora que está fuera, le tuvieron que amputar ambas piernas. Gracias a Dios tiene su vida y la de sus hijas.

◉ Una joven periodista no estaba en casa en el momento del terremoto y sus dos niñas,, una de 11 y otra de dos años,, también murieron aplastadas.

◉ Un motorizado se hizo viral con sus paseos a La Guaira llevando comida y tiene un mes comprando insumos, llevándolos a una cocina y luego repartiéndolos a damnificados y rescatistas.

◉ Muchas personas que piden ayuda en redes sociales. Hay niños que miran a la cámara con una mirada distante, como si no supieran lo que está pasando. 

◉ Niños que se salvaron hablan directamente a la cámara, con mucha tranquilidad, asegurando que todo va a estar bien. No les ha llegado el bajón de su realidad.

◉ Un muchacho joven sigue dedicado a ser topo,  sigue sacando gente, y ahora más que todo a fallecidos en estado de descomposición.

◉ El hijo de una amiga lo perdió todo y sigue en el hospital.

◉ Mi hermano y su esposa perdieron su pequeño paraíso donde iban a descansar y compartir con amigos cada fin de semana- su apartamento de playa.  Y sus amigos, quienes vivían fijo en el edificio - lo perdieron todo- bueno, excepto sus vidas, gracias a Dios.

   

👆🏽 Apartamento de Dani y Maribel en el piso 8

Paso horas viendo y escuchando historias heroicas, de desgarro, de coraje y de valentía. Esto me ha puesto el corazón muy sensible.

💔

Hace dos días escribí e ilustré un librito en el que gran parte de esta energía reprimida encontró una válvula de escape. Terminé un boceto que me ayudó a procesar. Ya se los mostraré cuando esté listo.

bocetos del libro que estoy ilustrando

Todos los venezolanos, dentro y fuera del país, están sufriendo la tragedia. Cuando lo pongo en perspectiva,, sé que, a la par de este desastre, hay otros que quizás son peores y ya tienen años sucediendo,, como las guerras. Hay una parte de mí que prefiere un desastre natural a una guerra. Pero nosotros,, como venezolanos,, también hemos estado durante años en guerra contra una dictadura, digamos, una muerte lenta. Esta catástrofe nos pone a pensar: ¿cómo es posible que nos esté cayendo esto encima ahora, además de lo que ya estamos pasando? Cada quien tiene una forma de responder esta pregunta desde su interior. Todos estamos angustiados.

Para todos aquellos que generosamente se han ofrecido a donar, todavía hay tiempo y mucho por hacer. 

Muchas historias y muchas iniciativas para ayudar

Yo estoy especialmente abocada a ayudar a niños que han perdido piernas y brazos, o quizás sus ojos. Esta discapacidad,, además del trauma de estar sin casa o sin familia, requerirá mucha ayuda y tendrá que ser sostenible en el tiempo. Necesitarán prótesis que cambian anualmente a medida que los niños crecen, necesitarán ayuda psicológica para sobreponerse a la falta de una parte del cuerpo. Yo repartiré mis fondos entre estos dos, pero abajo hay otras opciones.

•• Fundaprocura: https://www.instagram.com/reels/DbTD-p2xIAM/

@fundaprocura

•• Comedor de La Guaira https://www.instagram.com/comedordelaguaira/

@comedordelaguaira

Aquí abajo les pongo lugares en los que pueden confiar de que sus dólares llegan a las personas necesitadas. Si les es más fácil, me mandan una transferencia por Zelle y yo la coloco.

Comunidades que se organizaron en el sitio.

Para comida: un grupo de personas de la comunidad —grassroots—: todo lo que recibe se convierte en ayuda para los negocios locales y para los damnificados.  Mándenmelo a mi para hacer la transferencia.  Ellos hacen como 5000 comidas diarias y siguen necesitando insumos o voluntarios.  Rennea Couttenye Zelle:rennea@mac.com

Para comida: una compañía de personas que conozco personalmente, que tiene ganado y la facilidad de distribuir- lleva proteína, pasta y agua directamente a muchas cocinas. Tiene posibilidad de recibir en euros y reportan cada entrega que se hace, super profesional https://www.donacionesacaure.com/reporte.html#entregas

Fundaciones venezolanas con larga trayectoria trabajando con personas vulnerables

Para niños en general: una fundación con una larga trayectoria de trabajo en Venezuela para ayudar a los niños.

Fundana a través de GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/9f6e31711

Para personas con discapacidades: ayuda desde el momento que necesitan hospitalización hasta su entrenamiento como personas hábiles que puedan valerse con su trabajo- :

1. Fundación JuanPablo2Santos: Zelle: fundacionjuanpablo2santos@gmail.com
2. Fundaprocura: a través de GoFundMe  https://gofund.me/463163b34
3. Fundaprocura a través de Paypal: https://fundaprocura.shop/products/fondos-para-victimas-del-terremoto

Fundaciones internacionales bien organizadas y transparentes.

Para comida: una fundación que lo está haciendo a gran escala es World Central Kitchen. Ellos sirven comidas en lugares de emergencia en todo el mundo.  Han trabajado muy bien en La Guaira, donde se produjo el terremoto, y operan desde el club de playa vecino al nuestro- ¡muy organizados!.

https://wck.org/news/wck-serves-over-1-million-meals-after-venezuela-earthquakes/

About the Earthquake: La Guaira 24 de Junio

Spanish version in the following post.  

Links to donate at the end of the text

3 min read

◉ A man, with his bare hands, is digging, trying to rescue his son and nephew, who are still buried. He has already pulled out his wife, his son-in-law, and a brother. All of them deceased, crushed among the rubble. He has been at it for more than 25 days and still hasn’t finished the rescue. He has no help and no tools.

◉ A woman spent 19 hours trapped and crushed, and now that she’s out, she is alive, but lost both her legs. Thank goodness her kids are safe.

◉ A young journalist wasn’t at home at the time of the earthquake, and her two daughters, one 11 and the other two years old, died crushed in their apartment.

◉ People ask for help on social media through friends or influencers. Many children look at the camera with a distant gaze; they don’t know what is happening.

◉ Other children who survived smile and wave to the camera, very calmly, saying that everything is going to be okay, as if they need to reassure us. Their harsh reality hasn’t hit them yet.

◉ A delivery guy whose post went viral has been making trips to La Guaira to bring food. He’s spent the last month buying supplies with donations from people like us who donate directly to his group. He takes the shopping to a kitchen, and then distributes prepared food to people on the streets and to rescue workers.

◉ And a month after the catastrophe, a young man is still dedicated to being a "gopher", a rescuer; he is still pulling people out. There are still thousands in the rubble. He still needs to be fed daily.

◉ The son of a friend, after 28 hours trapped, lost everything, almost his life! And is still in the hospital. Big bills he cannot afford will determine whether he gets the operation he needs.

◉ My brother and his wife lost their little paradise —the beach apartment where they would rest and spend time with friends every weekend. And their friends, who lived permanently in the building, lost everything—well, except their lives, thank God.

👆🏽Pictures above show Daniel and Maribel's 8th-floor apartment.

💔 Thousands of stories- 

A month has passed

I spend hours watching and listening to heroic stories, heartbreaking stories, stories of courage and bravery. This has made my heart very sensitive.

WIP Spread of little book ¿Dónde Estás Corazón?

Two days ago, I wrote and illustrated a little book in which much of this repressed energy found a release valve. I finished a sketch that helped me process. It's a work in progress. I’ll show it to you once it’s ready.

All Venezuelans, inside and outside the country, are suffering from the tragedy. When I try to put it into perspective, I know that, alongside this disaster, there are others in the world that might even be worse and have been happening for years, like all those wars. Part of me prefers a natural disaster over war. But we, as Venezuelans, have also spent years at war against a dictatorship—a slow death, so to speak. This catastrophe makes us think: how is it possible that this is happening to us now, on top of everything we’re already going through? Each person has their own way to answer this question from within. We are all anguished.

Many initiatives - many feel-good stories

How To Help

For everyone who has generously offered to donate, there is still time and a lot to do.

I am especially focused on helping children who have lost legs and arms, or perhaps their eyes. This disability, on top of the trauma of being without a home or family, will require a lot of help, and it will need to be sustainable over time. They will need prosthetics that must be changed annually as the children grow; they will need psychological help to overcome the loss of a body part. I will divide my funds between these two causes: immediate help and long-term help, but below there are other options.

•• Fundaprocura: https://www.instagram.com/reels/DbTD-p2xIAM/ @fundaprocura

•• Comedor de La Guaira https://www.instagram.com/comedordelaguaira/ @comedordelaguaira

 Below, I’m sharing places you can trust to ensure your dollars reach those in need. If it’s easier, you can send me a Zelle transfer, and I’ll distribute it and share it with the people I mentioned.

Communities that have organized on-site.

For food: a grassroots group from the community turns everything they receive into help for local businesses and victims. Send it to me, and I’ll make the transfer. They prepare about 5,000 meals a day and still need supplies or volunteers. Rennea Couttenye Zelle: rennea@mac.com

For food: a company of people I know personally and trust completely- they have livestock and the means to distribute—they bring protein, pasta, and water directly to many kitchens. They can receive donations in euros, and every delivery is documented via their website.  : https://www.donacionesacaure.com/reporte.html#entregas

Venezuelan non-profits with a long history of working with vulnerable people

For children in general, a foundation with a long track record of helping children in Venezuela.

Fundana via GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/9f6e31711

For three foundations dedicated to people with disabilities, from the moment they need hospital care to their training as capable people who can support themselves through work:

1. Fundación JuanPablo2Santos: Zelle: fundacionjuanpablo2santos@gmail.com
2. Fundaprocura: via GoFundMe https://gofund.me/463163b34
3. ***Fundaprocura via Paypal: https://fundaprocura.shop/products/fondos-para-victimas-del-terremoto

International organizations that help everyone. Well-organized and transparent.

For food, a large-scale foundation is World Central Kitchen. They serve meals in emergency areas around the world. They have done great work in La Guaira, where the earthquake occurred, and operate from the beach club next to ours—very organized!

https://wck.org/news/wck-serves-over-1-million-meals-after-venezuela-earthquakes/

---

Thank you, every little thing helps.  No donation is too small.

The Night Of The Bombing

Thoughts about January 3rd, 2026

Outside the window in my city od Caracas.

Dear Friends, 

Many of you have called to ask about my family in Venezuela, and I thank you for that. It also allows me to explain something I hardly talk about. What has happened in my country over the past 26 years is surreal, confusing, and hard to explain. Hopefully, this bombing will mark the end of this era of repression. 

You see dance and music all over.
Joy is part of life, no matter how bad things are.

 You see millions leave the country in search of a dignified life.
They cannot make ends meet in Venezuela.

You see children learning music every day.
We are a model in the world.

You see people abducted, tortured and disappeared.  
We have over 1000 political prisoners, including 4 Americans.

Surreal it is. Today, we are on the front page, and Venezuelans are celebrating something the world is condemning. So, instead of trying to explain the broader chaos, I’m just gonna tell you about my family’s experience on January 3, in Caracas.

M. and S.

The house was dark and my mom and my sister were sleeping. The loudest bang they had ever experienced startled them. It was around 2am. S. woke to the loudest noise. It bounced and penetrated all the windows, shook the ground, and pierced their ears.  She reports hearing a sound so strong that it brought reverberations throughout her body. When we spoke, she had a hard time describing it,.  All she could say is that it was awful.

She jumped out of bed, ran downstairs barefoot and in her underwear, to see our mom. Found her also shocked.  Mami tells me how badly my sister was shaking, her whole body trembling. They hugged, frightened, squeezing their bodies together until Susi's trembling stopped.  They were both terrified and did not understand what had just happened. 

Bombings in the night Jan 3, 2026

Bombings in the night Jan 3, 2026

Once the initial shock passed, they sat in the dark, distressed: Would they have more bombs or gunfire? What if they had to leave home unprepared?

Picking up the phone, they saw scenes out of a war movie: fire, columns of smoke, explosions. Helicopters filled the sky. Houses with shattered glass and people running—families fleeing areas near the heavy bombing areas. I was seeing this too! And it was all happening in our city.

Our home is less than a mile from one of the bombed military airbases. My mom and my sister would not get close to the windows. Glass can shatter. Gunfire can reach there. 

Then there was the drama of the communications. I was alerted by my friend B. in Oakland: “Is your family all right?” And then I see the bombing with horror on social media.  For what felt like a long time, I couldn't reach them, and during that anxious period, everybody was calling each other to see if their families were all right. Thank goodness they were fine physically, but they were in shock—and still are!

Caracas skies on January 3rd, 2026

My friend G lives here in California. Her 91-year-old mom lives alone on the same hill as my family, but her apartment faces the military base directly. G watched live through her mom’s phone as events unfolded there: “It was like watching a movie—bombings, fire, hundreds of helicopters flying low—unbelievable!” Then it was over.

During that sleepless night, millions of Venezuelans watched home videos of the American military coming and going. Unable to control their need for information, they sent and received images and stories, hearts pounding, and people scoured social media and YouTube. 

News broke that Maduro had been removed from his home. Hallelujah!  The Americans took two- sadly, only two- out of a large team of crooks: Nicolás Maduro and Celia, his wife. Could this 26-year dream be really happening? The dictatorship has fallen? At last! Can't believe it—we’re rid of him!

Later that morning, shock still lingering, nobody wanted to leave their homes. If there were any events, they were cancelled. The big New Year’s lunch at my aunt’s was out of the question, not even to celebrate.  Everyone is in fear. Streets were empty, except for long lines to buy food, bottled water, and gasoline. People were preparing and trying to understand. 

Our emotions rollercoaster! : it's no use// yay! we've made it// get him out with fire// maybe we are too naive// when are they leaving then?

BREATHE

No one knows what’s gonna happen next. Venezuelans in Venezuela suspect, rightly so, that they will feel the repercussions of the angry, frustrated repressors left in power.  They will rule with tighter fists and more violence. Don’t go out.  Erase your phone. You could be caught and imprisoned.

To millions, he is a courageous hero! To me, his speech was repugnant and narcissistic,
even though I liked the outcome of his raid.

That afternoon, people listened to Trump and grew even more confused. He appointed another criminal as interim president, stating he would run the country through her, and he specifically excluded the democratically elected president and his team from the equation. He also mentioned a second wave of military activity. 

Confusion and fear prevail; optimists cling to the hope of a plan, even if it is unknown.

Left in charge of Venezuela are these other criminals, allies of Maduro 😫

Prudent joy, uncertainty, skepticism, exhaustion, fear, hope—these define the mood for people on Venezuelan soil. Still, we know that "the second wave" Trump mentioned will take place, and we want it. This second wave has to happen; otherwise, we’ll be in a worse situation than before. After all, today, a repressive system is still in place and intact.

 I can almost guarantee there is NO Venezuelans in this protest. We want Maduro to be ousted since legitimate, democratic, negotiated and/or peaceful transitions have been unsuccessful time after time.

In the meantime, in the rest of the world, this Venezuelan's elation is tempered by the world's disbelief: Trump‘s actions are highly illegal. No matter how happy I feel about the removal of Maduro, he has set a horrible, dangerous precedent. He has acted against all the rules established to guarantee peace in the world. He’s gone, like a cowboy, to take over the running of another country. 

“No, you can’t!” 

“Yes, I can: Watch me!” 

And then, he does!

He is used to doing things his own way.

We Venezuelans are happy for it. Whether cowboy or mafioso, usually the more powerful one eliminates the weaker one. We also want more: we hope the dismantling of the rest of the gang will be completed sooner rather than later!

For us, we know who is the lesser evil

So here we are: one abuser of power was hit by another abuser of power! 

What is acceptable? Was there a better way?  Ask any Venezuelan: To anyone who has endured 26 years of dictatorship, the US president’s insubordination is a lesser evil than living under Maduro’s illegal regime.

We deserve to live in freedom- LIBERTAD

As a final note, I’d like you to be empathetic with Venezuelans when we are happy with what’s happened. Please understand: Venezuelans cannot be more joyful for now and more fearful for the months to come.

People INSIDE Venezuela are afraid for their safety.  Fearful of those who are supposed to protect them. In the months to come, there will be difficulties accessing food, electricity, water and gasoline.

People OUTSIDE of Venezuela are celebrating, while inside Venezuela, people need to stay indoors and be safe from repression.

Flash, bam, alakazam

 

My first Operating Manual, January 2023

There is a song by Nat King Cole that goes: 

"I was walking along, minding my business

When out of an orange-colored sky

Flash, bam, alakazam

Wonderful, you came by."

And this is how my Worthy Goal* became a reality - "Flash, bam, alakazam" - as a complete surprise. It does not look exactly like the dream I had, but it is close enough and special. I felt: 'Is this even possible?' 
 
My well-worded (and memorized) Worthy Goal* read: "I will join or create a community that is joyful and sustainable – good for the people and good for the planet".  Later, I made it into a meme so that I could visualize the feeling. It was published on The Conspiracy* site on January 13, 2023.

I'm pleased to announce that last month I joined an emerging community in Spain that is joyful, affordable and sustainable and good for the people and the planet. I am thrilled and ecstatic. I'm its 115th member, and if you'd like to hear the story, please keep reading below.

*The Conspiracy, Worthy Goal, and Operating Manual are terms used within a group of people who have read a book by Michael Bungay Stanier, “How to Begin,” - “how to make real progress on things that matter.” More info HERE

Flash, Bam, Alakazam

Three Years Ago

In January 2023, I joined the Conspiracy with one project in mind: to join or create a community that is joyful and sustainable – good for the people and good for the planet. It has been a recurring hope and dream.

From then on, I took many steps, some of which seemed to be all over the place and going in tangents.  During my first two chapters, I drafted a manifesto and created a keynote presentation to share with my family and friends what I was thinking. Essentially, I wrote down everything that I'd like for my ideal situation.

My amazing siblings, 2017

I presented it to my family, who thought it was fantastic —and also utopian—definitely a beautiful fantasy. "But not for me," they'd say.

One would not find rural life the right fit; others felt we were too old for this, while another couldn't think that far into the future. All shared different personal variations. In "Shark Tank" parlance, all of them called: I'm out! Yet, their logic didn't deter me at all.

Has It Already Been Forty-five Years?

In the land where I thought I'd be living

La Gran Sabana, 1981

It's been a long time coming, the dream. Since I was 17, I had a vision with my boyfriend at the time. We praised the joys of living in nature. We knew a perfect place. We envisioned creating an intentional community there, centered on education, art, food production, and more. He went to the jungle to make it happen, and I didn't.

Instead, I had the opportunity to attend a US university on a full scholarship, and I took that instead of moving to a pristine, beautiful land with rivers and perfect weather. Forty-three years later, I am still in the city I came to attend college, the foggy city by the bay, beautiful San Francisco. 

San Francisco, around 1995

Life happened. I raised my children here and supported myself through my own business, which catered to children and teachers, and found it very fulfilling. In San Francisco, I made friends with whom I play music. I have nature at my doorstep: the ocean that I visit almost every day. I have the mountains, the waterfalls, the rolling hills, the rugged coast. I also enjoy the jazzy joints, the quirky people, the rebels, the nerds, the disruptors, the opera, artists, entrepreneurs, and the diversity. I love San Francisco.

Yosemite, 2011

But also, I long for warmth, community, and affordability. My kids flew off the nest, and I don't have a neighbor to take me to the doctor if I'm in need. I cannot imagine myself at 80 with no help in this expensive city.  

Community is fleeting here. People come and go. San Francisco is a place for trying new things, being adventurous, starting a business, looking for gold, and breaking the rules, but it does not support regular folks—teachers, plumbers, nurses —and even less so as we age. Most of my friends have moved, or live farther across the bay, and my kids cannot afford to live here either.

Back to The Drawing Board 

Choroní, my happy place in Venezuela, 2017

Right before the COVID pandemic, I wrote "Twenty Years Is Nothing," a piece in which I described, with as much detail as possible, how I imagined myself in 20 years. I described my happy place in Venezuela.  Just so perfect! And, rather idealized. 

Next, I find the task of doing anything there daunting, under a dictatorship, with ever-rising inflation, lack of security or human rights guarantees. Way too hard to even think of it. The biggest stumbling block is how hard it would be for my kids to visit.  Nope!

Oaxaca 2022

I visited Mexico and fell in love with Oaxaca in particular.  I felt I could move there and see what would transpire.  I did not follow through; not enough impetus. That was the "latest and greatest" effort I did in person.  

My dream, 2023

My 3rd Operating Manual, 2023

In the meantime, I've been practicing methodologies for good living, self-understanding, my four brains, my demons, and hardwiring for happiness, as well as reiterating operating manuals. I've enlisted the help of coaches, groups, and webinars, and I have taken continuous steps towards refining my processes, planning, and organizing my Joyful Calendar. I keep busy trying to cultivate good habits, all of which often feel quite tangential. You get the picture.

Life continues. I focus on 1) learning about communities and community living, and 2) working towards a profitable online business that supports nomadic life. and 3) having fun! (I'm good at this). I practice by hopping from my mom's home to my home to my kids' homes and visiting possible places where to land later in life.

This Summer

Felix and I, 2010

Felix and I, fifteen years later, 2025

I had the golden opportunity to spend time with my 17-year-old grandson in Valencia, Spain, while he attended a music camp - this was truly great, a first for us, alone with no parents! I have never spent much time with him in a one-to-one situation- It was lovely.

Maru, Isabel and I, 2025

As usual, I connected with friends during my travels. Two high school friends and I, one whom I hadn't seen since I was 13 and another whom I saw maybe 10 years ago, gathered for paella.  We shared stories accompanied by tinto de verano.  The next day, Maru sends me an Instagram post about an ecovillage.  That same week, another friend sent me a post about that same ecovillage. Hmmm, I'm in Valencia, it is close by, about an hour away. Hmmm! I decide to visit.

Planes, Standing where I think my house is supposed to be, 2025

In a flash, I found a community that is "joyful, safe, affordable, good for the people and good for the planet." I felt it when I stepped into the land. 

In under two weeks, I joined the community and signed a membership that gives me the option for a home that will be built over the next couple of years.  

What?

Is this even possible? I am ecstatic. 

My judgmental self is calling me imprudent, and my free-bird self is encouraging me to go for it. I'm nervous. It is risky, and it requires a certain amount of trust, which my intuition says is a yes - we will make it happen.  I'm going for it!

Architectural rendering of the townhouse, 2025

One goal down. Now, on to the next Worthy Goal: building a community with my new neighbors.   

🌷

The Universe reminds me, again and again, how much dreams play a crucial role in making our wishes come true, and maybe,  it is also trying to point out how Operating Manuals are actually magical! "Flash, bam, alakazam" Ha ha ha!

Hope you enjoyed this true story.

Flash, bam, alakazam- what a surprise!

PS If you'd like to hear more about my newfound community, send me a message at rennea@mac.com