‘The best news’: South Florida woman’s mother rescued from rubble after Venezuela earthquakes

DORAL, Fla. — A South Florida woman’s mother survived the Venezuela earthquakes after being pulled from the rubble of a collapsed building.

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Paola Ramos said her 54-year-old mother, Carla, was beneath the rubble for three days before being rescued.

“I called my family,” Ramos said. “I couldn’t find my mom.”

Ramos spent the next 72 hours unsure if her mother was dead or alive.

“It’s frustrating, but I’m really connected with my people,” she said. “I was trying to do my best. I used my social media platforms to spread the news.”

She posted videos to Instagram expressing fear that her mother’s building was being overlooked.

“I thought for two days she was dead because the building was really collapsed,” Ramos said. “It was on the floor.”

Since the devastating twin earthquakes the United Nations estimates at least 243 people have been pulled from the rubble as the death toll continues to climb.

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Ramos credits her mother’s faith for keeping her alive.

“She’s really shocked,” Ramos said. “She was there working, taking care of a child.”

The 6-year-old boy she was taking care of did not survive, Ramos said, dying of dehydration.

“Right now, we are not thinking. We have no time to process,” Ramos said. “Venezuela was not prepared for this.”

Humanitarian relief efforts have been well underway since the natural disaster occurred.

Two highly trained South Florida teams, Florida Task Force One and Two were dispatched to the scene to aid in the search-and-rescue effort.

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Many are stopping by local donation sites.

“It’s amazing,” Ramos said. “We need help.”

Ramos had a message for those in Venezuela: “Keep going; have faith.”