Humanitarian assistance provided by the United States to Venezuela has reached the mark of $377 million. This aid encompasses various essential items for the victims, such as emergency medical care, food, potable water, sanitation services, temporary shelters, protection, and logistical support.
Organizations and Material Delivered
This support is channeled through entities such as the Red Cross, UNICEF, and the World Food Programme. The US administration confirmed on Wednesday that it had already distributed more than 400 metric tons of emergency supplies. These materials included hygiene and shelter kits, tarpaulins, buckets, and kitchen utensils, estimated to have benefited approximately 70,000 people affected by the earthquakes.
Logistics and Rescue Operation
In this operational context, Washington announced the implementation of a humanitarian air bridge between the US and Venezuela. This bridge is coordinated by the Department of State, in partnership with the organization Airlink and the company Amazon, and aims to transport supplies weekly from Miami to Maiquetía without incurring costs for humanitarian organizations.
The American response also involved sending specialized urban search and rescue teams. A total of over 2,400 members from 60 international teams, originating from 29 countries, along with nearly 200 trained dogs, actively participated in the rescue efforts after the seismic events.
Post-Earthquake Situation and International Support
The American teams deployed from Virginia, California, and Florida have already returned to their bases after completing the mission; however, the Department of State guaranteed that it maintains personnel on site to continue humanitarian support. The earthquakes that occurred in Venezuela on June 24 resulted in an official toll of at least 3,685 dead and 16,740 injured. Among the deceased are at least 100 Portuguese citizens and Lusophone descendants, in addition to another 59 missing or uncontacted individuals.
Several countries, including Portugal and other European Union members, sent search and rescue teams to Venezuela. The operational base of the Portuguese earthquake response mission is established in Catia la Mar, located in La Guaira, an area with a high concentration of Portuguese and Lusophone descendants that was severely impacted. The seismic events, of magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, occurred 200 kilometers from Caracas, with less than a minute difference between them, and were followed by hundreds of aftershocks, according to the United States Geological Survey.
