Naples family separated by Venezuela quake shares emotional reunion

NAPLES, Fla. (WINK)—A Naples woman has reconnected with her mother in Venezuela after a terrifying earthquake left her family's fate uncertain for hours.

Sylvia Marmo received a frantic voice note on Wednesday from her mother, Isabel Gonzalez, who was running for her life as the earthquake struck Caracas. Marmo could only watch from thousands of miles away as she repeatedly called back with no answer.

Gonzalez was running from her living room to the parking lot when the first quake hit. She covered her head as parts of her house began falling around her.

"The scariest part was the screaming, people screaming, and the noises coming from the ground," Gonzalez said.

Seconds later, a second, stronger quake struck. Marmo frantically searched for information in Naples but found nothing.

"It was absolutely a scary moment," Marmo said. "I started looking on social media, and nobody is posting anything about it."

After hours of silence, Marmo finally heard from her mother. Gonzalez says her home sustained significant damage, with fractures throughout the structure and exposed bricks in several areas.

Gonzalez now sleeps on the first-floor couch, too afraid to go upstairs in case an aftershock hits. Marmo believes rebuilding will take years, but the emotional recovery will take even longer.

"She can't forget the noise that she felt and that she heard that day, and it affects you mentally, deeply mentally," Marmo said.

During WINK News reporter Miyoshi Price's interview with Gonzalez, another aftershock struck. Gonzalez's face suddenly changed as she paused, explaining she could feel the house moving again.

Despite the trauma and damage, Marmo says she is grateful her family survived.

"If you survive, just be grateful to be alive," Marmo said. "Anything can be rebuilt."