projects were slowly being carried out to rebuild damaged infrastructure. Over a decade after the tragedy, thousands remained homeless and the value of real estate in zones untouched by the floods declined by as much as 70%, due to the destruction of infrastructure. Orion, a Rottweiller, was officially recognized for his role in rescuing people during the tragedy. A mudslide forced Orion and his owner Mauricio Pérez to leave their home and go to a safer place. They came across a young girl trapped by turbulent water. Orion guided the girl to shore by swimming at her side, then jumped back in to pull a second girl out of the water. He then helped eight children climb to high places. He spent Wednesday night and part of Thursday morning saving 37 people from drowning, ranging from a girl of 8 years old to an elderly man of 80 years old. He was awarded the Medal "Honor The Value" and a certificate for the role he played. He also received plaques and medals from private institutions and governments, international tributes and recognition by the Grand Lodge of Masonry in Venezuela. On 1 December 2008, Orion died of intestinal gastroenteritis. Three films were made about the tragedy by Venezuelan filmmakers, all released in 2011; this is said to show the lasting impact of the tragedy that people were still sharing these narratives, especially in a nation with a poor cinema industry. See also Armero tragedy – a similarly catastrophic debris flow event caused by a volcanic eruption in Colombia in 1985 References Bibliography Geologic sources Antonio Luis Cárdenas Colménter. Análisis del Fenómeno Ocurrido en el Litoral Venezolano en diciembre de 1999. External links Wikimedia commons: Vargas in January 2000 Wikimedia commons: Vargas in December 2000 Landslides in Venezuela Floods in Venezuela Mudslide 1999 floods in South America 1999 in Venezuela 1999 disasters in Venezuela Vargas tragedy December 1999 events in South America