Good afternoon community of steemit, I would like to tell you today an event that happened this month in Venezuela and that had never been seen in this magnitude, and explain why I was absent on the platform when I had just published my first post. First of all, as you will have noticed in the title, Venezuela on the 7th of March, there was a national blackout, where all the states of the country were in darkness and darkness, except for a few sectors that have the said to have an electric reserve, DESPITE that similarly they did not work at 100%. This is compounded by the absence of Internet service (CANTV), which was the biggest reason for my absence because I just returned the internet 2 days ago, that is; that for 10 days I did not have internet. This was because in my state where I live (Falcon) fiber optic cables had been stolen, causing also queues in the supermarkets due to faults in the sales points, absence of the telephone line, among other consequences. And I repeat, it was for 10 days, all this because of the insecurity and corruption that the country presents and of what we see on a daily basis.
Satellite image of Venezuela on the night of March 7, 2019 and on the night of March 8, 2019.
In view of the blackout, the problem was a vegetation fire in the hydroelectric power station in the Guri dam, the main power plant that supplies 70% -80% of electricity throughout the country and since 2007 the government has been solely responsible for the supply of energy for more than ten years. The cause of the blackout was due to lack of maintenance, investment and expert personnel in the matter. Because? Due to the corruption that exists in the government of Nicolas Maduro, because the government's responsibility was to keep the machines in good condition.
But what happened to the money that went specifically to the electricity sector? Simply the people of the state stole that money for their own benefit, leaving the Venezuelan people in worse conditions. As well as they do in many other places.
So, what were the consequences of this electrical failure?
Loss of food: refrigerated food products such as meat, milk and fish were damaged, and some establishments had to close. Other merchants were lowering their price, almost giving the product away so that they could sell it faster.
Lack of water: this only applies to the privileged sectors that get water 3 or 4 times a week, making the distribution of water throughout the country is 0%. There were even people who had to bathe in rivers or sewers.Loss of communication: on March 9 there was an explosion at a power plant in the state of Bolivar causing telephone and internet services such as Movistar, Movilnet, Digitel and CANTV to be affected, where it was not only difficult to make calls or send messages, but it was impossible to access the internet, causing points of sale will not work and banks closed, and the difficulty of obtaining the cash that has always been present, several establishments have had to close or accept the foreign currency (dollar) as a form of payment .
Worse hospital conditions: For me this was the worst affected sector, because the hospitals in Venezuela have time in bad conditions and now with the new blackout, the situation worsened. Already by March 13 at least 43 deaths had been recorded, although the number was increasing more and more. People who received renal dialysis treatment died, while the other deaths came directly from the failure of light.
Problems in transportation and infrastructure: many people had problems moving from one place to another as the sites that have meters as a form of transport closed.
Looting: The commercial centers of large cities such as Caracas, Maracaibo, Valencia, among others, suffered a multitude of looting, mainly stealing food and basic necessities. According to The New York Times, it said 523 stores were looted during the week in Maracaibo.
All these consequences generated losses of billions of dollars, worsening MORE the situation that my country is going through. My intention to make this post is purely informative, is to raise awareness to all people in other countries of the REAL situation that is happening. There are still people who ask me if Venezuela is really as bad as they say, and my answer is yes, it is worse. Many are the television channels that do not show the truth and hide it, or simply the government blocks them, that is why people around the world are uninformed. For this reason social networks and platforms like Steemit help a lot to be communicated with the outside world.
Thank you for having a time to read me, and that I have helped you and informed you a little more about my country. A hug.