Jonathan Roman | Staff Writer
It’s been twelve days since the twin earthquakes that rattled Venezuela. The death toll from Wednesday has risen to 3,300 people, with more than 16,470 injured and 17,345 people displaced across the country.
Venezuela’s National Assembly leader, Jorge Rodriguez, said more than 774 buildings had been damaged or destroyed, with 189 completely collapsed and 585 partially collapsed.
As the search and rescue operation now enters its second week, the country grapples with aftershocks; nearly 782 aftershocks have hit the country in the following days, as the magnitude continues to decline. The United Nations estimates there are 50,000 missing or unaccounted for. Since the twin earthquakes, 4,000 international rescuers have deployed in the country working alongside 26,000 Venezuelan authorities.
After President Donald Trump said the U.S. will help, the U.S. State Department has mobilized at least four U.S. FEMA Urban Search and Rescue task forces. Florida Task Force 1, an 80-member team based in Miami-Dade, has been deployed, alongside Florida Task Force 2, which is based in the city of Miami Fire Department. The U.S. State Department also activated the Virginia Task Force 1 and the California Task Force 1. Additionally, the U.S. military has deployed more than 900 personnel in the country.
Survivors of the quakes are residing in tents, schools, and crowded shelters, some have resorted to makeshift shelters. Doctors and international aid organizers are warning that overcrowded shelters, a lack of clean water, poor sanitation, and a weakened hospital system, are increasing the risk of infectious diseases. Hospitals are overwhelmed, with shortages of medical supplies and a shortage of workers.
The back-to-back earthquakes have shed renewed light on Venezuela’s fractured infrastructure. Watchdog organizations warned for years that the massive public housing buildings could crumble in the event of a quake. The buildings, home to thousands of Venezuelans, have been reduced to rubble or partially standing. Experts raised initial concerns in 2011, questioning the building materials, design, and the ground the buildings were constructed on.
On July 6, the members of Urban Search and Rescue Florida Task Force One and Two arrived in Miami International Airport, after spending eight grueling days in the hardest-hit areas of Venezuela.
This is a developing story and will be updated as events progress.
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