Takeaways from AP investigation into collapse of housing towers during Venezuela’s earthquakes

Scientists had warned the Venezuelan government against constructing along the coastal strip of La Guaira. The area, near the Caribbean Sea and mountain range, had suffered repeated devastating natural disasters and had poor, silt-like soil that would amplify shaking in earthquakes. Despite these warnings, the government built tall concrete apartment complexes in the area.

The government's decision to construct these buildings in a high-risk location led to their collapse during the 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes on June 24, resulting in the deaths of over 6,500 people and leaving 17,000 homeless. The government of acting President Delcy Rodríguez has done little to address the survivors' rage or the reasons behind the building collapses.

The government's decision to build these structures was made in 2010, following a humanitarian crisis that displaced over 100,000 people. The Venezuelan government constructed the apartment towers in the coastal strip to provide housing for the displaced, disregarding the area's seismic risks. The area had experienced a deadly earthquake in 1967 and a series of mudslides and floods in 1999, which had prompted the creation of a seismological research foundation.

However, the government ignored the lessons learned from these past disasters and built the structures anyway.