GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — As frantic search and recovery efforts mount in earthquake ravaged Venezuela, metro Atlanta Venezuelan immigrants with loved ones stranded and missing amid the rubble say it’s a heartbreaking situation.
“My mother cried. When we see the video, it’s really, really hard.” said Jeannel Edghill.
Edghill and her husband own Papalon con Limon, a Venezuelan restaurant in Peachtree Corners in Gwinnett County.
She says her brother and family have lost their home on the outskirts of Caracas, where major back-to-back earthquakes caused widespread damage.
Nearly 200 people have been killed and more than 1,500 injured. Disaster officials say the death toll could climb into the thousands.
“How bad is it down there from what you brother saw?” asked Channel 2’s Tom Regan.
“It’s really bad. The buildings behind him are collapsed, and they buildings in front of him are collapsed. They felt the whole building shake and they ran out,” said Edghill.
Jorge Bilemzii, a customer at Edghill’s restaurant, says his father has been sending him video updates from Caracas on disaster rescue and relief efforts.
He showed Regan video of a collapse buildings where his aunt lived.
“She’s missing now. Her name is Lily,” said Bilemzii.
He says he worries about his other relatives there, including a grandmother, uncles and many cousins.
Edghill says her brother and family are now living in the streets.
“There’s no buildings they can go stay in. They don’t have any electricity. They don’t have food. They don’t have water. They don’t have anything,” said Edghill.
She says it’s hard to focus on running her business with so much suffering in her homeland.
“We come here to the restaurant, but our hearts are in Venezuela.” said Edghill.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
TRENDING STORIES:
- Bear spotted roaming in Newnan
- Firefighters rescue cat trapped in car engine
- Chattahoochee River fish kill biggest death event in Georgia since 2011, report says
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]