A Madeiran resident, João Nélio, experienced the "biggest scare" of his life during his first trip to Venezuela, where he had been since June 15.
While preparing to leave Caracas for La Guaira, a phone alert preceded the strong tremor. "The house was shaking everywhere. We didn't know which way to go," described Nélio, who had never felt an earthquake before.
The aftershocks and uncertainty left him "always scared," affecting his sleep and creating a "trauma" that is difficult to forget. His return to Madeira, initially planned for June 29, was postponed due to the earthquake's effects and the lack of confirmed flights.
Nélio expressed his "desperation to go back to my homeland," but admitted the possibility of returning to Venezuela in the future, mainly for his daughter, while acknowledging that the experience "is not easily forgotten."
