The double earthquake of June 24 shook Venezuela with a force that many later described as a single, long tremor, according to the results of a survey conducted by DatosUN. Six out of ten people experienced it that way. Another survey found that 76,8% of people react nervously to loud noises since the earthquake, six out of ten have trouble sleeping, and 81% have experienced the so-called "phantom earthquake"—the sensation of continuing to feel the tremor even after the shaking has stopped. We also reported that 53% of respondents received false information about the earthquake via text messages and social media, with TikTok and Instagram identified as the main source of misinformation (41,3%).
To continue documenting the effects of this impactful event, we set out to investigate, beyond the psychological or informational effects, something more domestic: what happened to the remodeling works that were underway, what changes in coexistence were applied in the buildings, if there were temporary moves, and how financially prepared the condominiums were to deal with an emergency of this type.
DatosUN published a digital survey on our website and social media, and between July 28 and 31, 305 people participated. The questionnaire covered four areas: interrupted or canceled remodeling projects, formal changes to living arrangements within buildings, temporary relocations of residents, and the financial capacity of condominium boards to respond to the damages.
The results follow.
Stop before you start
Before the earthquake, 49,8% of those surveyed had some remodeling, repair or maintenance work planned or underway —either inside their apartment (35,6%) or in common areas of the building (14,1%)—, compared to 50,2% who had no work planned.
Of those who did have a project underway, the earthquake interrupted more than half: 50,5% of these projects were completely halted (27,4%) or definitively canceled (23,2%). Another 40,0% were temporarily postponed to reassess structural damage, and only 9,5% continued without interruption.
The main reason behind these work stoppages and cancellations is economic: 56,2% attribute them to economic uncertainty or budget constraints, far exceeding reasons such as redirecting funds toward earthquake repairs (14,6%), waiting for safety inspections (12,5%), requests from neighbors or the condominium board to reduce noise (10,4%), or fears that the work would damage the structure (6,2%). This suggests that the work stoppages were more a response to widespread financial caution than to restrictions imposed by the community or the authorities.
Few formal changes, apart from the noise
Most buildings did not implement formal changes to their rules of coexistence after the earthquake: 63,4% of respondents reported no changes. However, when restrictions were implemented, the most frequent was the temporary prohibition of excessive noise, drilling, or demolition (27,8%)—consistent with the pause in construction mentioned above—followed by restrictions on the use of common areas such as party rooms, terraces, or swimming pools (5,9%), preventive closure of underground parking garages or risk areas (4,4%), and changes to evacuation routes (2,9%).
Temporary move
38,5% of respondents reported some type of temporary relocation following the earthquake—either of neighbors in their building (30,7%) or of their own household (7,8%)—while 61,5% indicated that all residents remained in their apartments. Although most did not have to relocate, temporary displacement affected a considerable portion of the sample.
Most weren't ready
50,7% of those surveyed stated that their condominium did not have the funds or financial capacity to cover unforeseen inspections or repairs, and another 32,2% did not know if a reserve fund existed. Only 10,7% had to resort to an urgent special assessment, and a mere 6,3% had emergency funds already available before the earthquake.
