"What am I going to do? Where am I going to work? What am I going to achieve? Where am I going to get money?"Faisuris Alvarez, who runs a beachside fish stand, agonized aloud over these questions without answers. The coastal city of La Guaira is located just north of Caracas and usually serves as the perfect seaside getaway for residents of the capital.But the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes on June 24 decimated the city, with mountains of rubble replacing the high-rise buildings that once lined the coast.The disaster has claimed over 4,000 lives and injured almost 17,000 more people, and questions about the economic impact abound.The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction estimates losses of almost $37 billion in material damage alone.Jobs, goods and services have all but disappeared, with uncertainty coloring the future."In addition to direct losses, there are usually indirect effects on trade, transportation, supply chains, employment and consumption," said economist Asdrubal Oliveros.Limbo, looting
Many highrise buildings that once lined La Guaira’s coast have since been flattened, or are severely damaged © MARTIN BERNETTI / AFP
Alvarez's coworkers reassure her that annual visitors to the resort town will be back next year. But for now she and dozens more people who work the same spot are left in limbo, without an income."The guy who sells clams, the one who sells boiled eggs, the one who sells green mango with salt, the wafer seller, the ice cream seller... What's become of those people?" the 39-year-old asked.Luis Baena gazed at the charred remains of his warehouse, which was destroyed during the quakes and then looted and burned in the chaotic aftermath.The businessman filmed people making off with over six containers of lighting equipment the morning after the tremors, appealing for help on social media but to no avail.Little now remains of his family business "Bilight," which once employed more than 60 other households in La Guaira."The efforts of so many families and so many people who depend on this place are at stake right now," Baena told AFP."It's tough," the 52-year-old said tearfully as he looked at the destroyed business he ran with his brother.Getting 'back on track'
