{"id":3035,"date":"2026-06-30T14:04:45","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T14:04:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3035"},"modified":"2026-06-30T14:04:45","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T14:04:45","slug":"he-survived-2-natural-disasters-in-venezuelas-la-guaira-now-he-vows-never-to-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3035","title":{"rendered":"He survived 2 natural disasters in Venezuela\u2019s La Guaira. Now he vows never to return"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<ul><\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Venezuelan merchant Grian Serrano has survived two of the country\u2019s worst natural disasters: the devastating 1999 mudslides that ravaged the coastal state of La Guaira and, 26 years later, two powerful earthquakes that struck the same region.<\/p>\n<p>Bruised around his left eye and across much of his body, 46-year-old Serrano is recovering from the ordeal he endured with his son and mother Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>The three were buried beneath rubble and twisted steel when their eight-story apartment building collapsed in the city of Caraballeda in La Guaira, the state hardest hit by the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is a miracle from God,\u201d Serrano said as he recalled how, in total darkness, he clawed through debris with his bare hands before rescuing his 8-year-old son and 69-year-old mother with the help of two passersby.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>The two earthquakes have killed more than 1,700 people and injured more than 5,000, according to the government. Hundreds of buildings collapsed or were damaged, primarily in La Guaira. Significant damage was also reported in the capital, Caracas, and in the states of Carabobo, Miranda, Aragua and Yaracuy.<\/p>\n<p>La Guaira \u2014 known as Vargas until 2019 \u2014 is Venezuela\u2019s second-smallest state but one of its most strategically important. About 30 kilometers (19 miles) north of Caracas, it is home to the country\u2019s main international airport and second-largest seaport.<\/p>\n<p>Its roughly 440,000 residents are largely low-income and depend on tourism, commerce and jobs tied to the airport and seaport.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking from his brother\u2019s home in Caracas, Serrano recalled the terror he felt last week, his thoughts inevitably returning to Dec. 15, 1999, when he was jolted awake by the screams of their household employee, who had seen a nearby river overflow after days of heavy rain.<\/p>\n<p>From his window, he watched the swollen river sweep away trees, massive boulders and vehicles with people trapped inside, banging on the windows and pleading for help.<\/p>\n<p>Driven by instinct, Serrano fled his fourth-floor apartment with his mother, sister and nanny, climbing to the roof. From there, they watched floodwaters engulf the building\u2019s lower floors as massive trees slammed into its columns, fearing it would collapse like others nearby.<\/p>\n<p>Their fears eased at dawn as the rain stopped and the floodwaters began to recede. After waiting in vain for rescue, the family made their way through mud, rocks, debris and fallen trees to his grandparents\u2019 home in a nearby neighborhood.<\/p>\n<p>The 1999 floods and landslides known as the \u201cVargas Tragedy\u201d killed 782 people, another 2,000 were reported missing and about 250,000 residents were affected, according to \u00c1ngel Rangel, who led rescue operations as director of Venezuela\u2019s Civil Protection agency.<\/p>\n<p>Still shaken by the devastation left by the earthquakes, Serrano believes La Guaira \u2014 bordered by the Caribbean Sea and the \u00c1vila mountain range \u2014 is under a curse.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt isn\u2019t normal for such horrible things to happen in the same place,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Rangel, a disaster specialist, sees it differently. The engineer said the buildings that collapsed in La Guaira were built on terrain formed over centuries by sediment carried down from the surrounding mountains.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat type of terrain is particularly risky for construction,\u201d Rangel said, adding that building in such areas requires \u201cstrict adherence to seismic-resistant engineering standards\u201d adopted after the powerful 1967 earthquake that struck Caracas.<\/p>\n<p>Many of the buildings that collapsed in La Guaira were built in the 1970s, and it remains unclear whether they met those standards.<\/p>\n<p>After losing his home and all his belongings, Serrano said he does not know what comes next. But one thing is certain: He will never live in La Guaira again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s twice now,\u201d he said. \u201cSometimes I think if there\u2019s a third time, it\u2019s going to win the battle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Follow AP\u2019s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/latin-america<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3029\">St. Bernard dogs still roam the Swiss Alps as part of this \u2018living museum\u2019 and its breeding program<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3031\">Comcast plans to split into two public companies by spinning off NBCUniversal and Sky<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3033\">Star-maker Clive Davis honored at funeral that draws Bruce Springsteen, Dionne Warwick and others<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Venezuelan merchant Grian Serrano has survived two of the country\u2019s worst natural disasters: the devastating 1999 mudslides that ravaged the coastal state of La Guaira and, 26 years later, two powerful earthquakes that struck the same region. Bruised around his left eye and across much of his body, 46-year-old Serrano is recovering from the ordeal [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3034,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[63],"tags":[4895,4896,4897,4898,4637,4899],"class_list":["post-3035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world","tag-angel-rangel","tag-caracas-venezuela","tag-grian-serrano","tag-ingrid-rochabrun","tag-la-guaira-venezuela","tag-venezuelan-government"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>He survived 2 natural disasters in Venezuela\u2019s La Guaira. Now he vows never to return - Denver Moving Chronicle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3035\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"He survived 2 natural disasters in Venezuela\u2019s La Guaira. Now he vows never to return - Denver Moving Chronicle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Venezuelan merchant Grian Serrano has survived two of the country\u2019s worst natural disasters: the devastating 1999 mudslides that ravaged the coastal state of La Guaira and, 26 years later, two powerful earthquakes that struck the same region. 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