00:00Precisely, one of the most important tasks underway in Venezuela right now is the inspection
00:04of buildings which brings peace of mind to affected families and lays the groundwork
00:10for the necessary repairs that follow.
00:13Palen de los Santos, our correspondent, brings us the story from the Catedral Parish in Caracas.
00:20This Monday morning, Alexander welcomes residents from the Catedral Parish in downtown Caracas.
00:25He is a council member of the Cacique Carapaica commune and one of the people responsible
00:31for ensuring the inspections of every affected building in the area.
00:35The reports are analyzed, prioritized, and included in the joint work plan.
00:41We are talking about the number of reports, but we are also talking about the pictures
00:46that are provided to us regarding the damage, because people are, in fact, very afraid.
00:50They think that if a wall falls, then the entire structure is going to collapse.
00:55So, we assess the damage through the diagrams, and afterward we sit down together,
01:00we evaluate it with our colleagues from the Presidential Commission,
01:03our colleagues from the Risk Management Team, our colleagues from the Caracas City Government
01:08Mayor's Office, and the People's Power also takes part in that planning.
01:12Today's plan includes the inspection of the Santa Cabilla Minor Basilica.
01:17Its facade is at risk of collapse, and it is one of the team's priorities.
01:25Here we function as an evaluation committee, where not only engineering experts participate,
01:32but also risk experts, fire service experts, and the community, which is also part of this
01:39collective involved in this intervention.
01:42The team inspects the building alongside those affected, explaining the different components
01:47of the evaluation. The goal is to determine whether the building is at risk of structural failure.
01:55This crack that we can see here,
01:59which extends over a considerable length.
02:04We have to verify it from that end to see how far it has spread.
02:10That is the purpose of this inspection, to determine its origin, and whether that origin
02:17represents any kind of safety risk for the parishioners who use this church.
02:26The experts conclude that the church nave is not at risk. However, the main challenge is on the roof.
02:32The front bell tower has sustained considerable damage, and a possible collapse would fall directly
02:38on the building's main entrance.
02:42This is a significant displacement. We are talking about a displacement of five centimeters.
02:48For this reason, it is determined that the church must remain closed. That is the joint decision of the work
02:54team.
02:55I would classify it as red, given its condition.
02:59Of course, we agree.
03:00Red means that the building is declared unsafe for occupancy and will undergo a second technical
03:06evaluation to determine whether the damaged structure can be restored or must be removed.
03:12The team leaves after warning about the risks and preventive measures. The priority,
03:16always, is the safety of the public.
03:19On camera, Marcos Da Silva, Belen de los Santos, for Telesur English, from Caracas, Venezuela.
Comments