The U.S. State Department has released an update on humanitarian relief efforts in Venezuela following the June 24 earthquakes, with the U.S. government committing more than $386 million to the operation.
The relief operation directs funding to key partners, including faith-based and humanitarian organizations such as Catholic Relief Services, Global Empowerment Mission, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Medical Corps, the International Organization for Migration, Project Hope, Samaritan’s Purse, UNICEF, the World Food Programme and World Vision.
The State Department said more than 400 metric tons of supplies, including shelter kits, hygiene kits and cooking kits, have already reached about 70,000 people.
As part of the relief logistics plan, the State Department said it has established a humanitarian air bridge to help move supplies into Venezuela.
Amazon is expected to provide weekly flights from Miami, Florida, to Maiquetía, Venezuela, and cover the transportation costs. Airlink, a nongovernmental organization that connects aviation resources with humanitarian missions, is managing cargo coordination and flight planning.
After supplies arrive in Venezuela, the logistics cluster led by the World Food Programme is coordinating distribution to aid groups working on the ground.
The operation also includes support from the Department of War to help overcome logistical challenges in coastal areas. The USS Fort Lauderdale has been stationed off the coast of La Guaira state, where sailors and Marine Corps personnel are using amphibious and landing craft to deliver supplies directly to difficult-to-reach communities.
U.S. Southern Command is also assisting operations at Simón Bolívar International Airport, where repairs were made to a runway so humanitarian flights could land.
The U.S. Geological Survey also supported the response by providing public assessments of aftershock risks and models of buildings with structural damage.
More than 60 international urban search-and-rescue teams worked alongside U.S. teams from Virginia, California and Florida, according to the official report.
“U.S. and international teams rescued survivors from the rubble days after the earthquakes, including a baby and its mother rescued after being trapped under a collapsed building for more than 30 hours,” the report reads.
Although U.S. rescue teams have returned home, the State Department’s Disaster Relief Assistance Team remains active in Caracas.
