The US has already begun deploying several civilian and military assets to Venezuela following two massive earthquakes that struck the South American country on Wednesday, leading to dozens of collapsed buildings and a rising death toll, with multiple reports indicating the number has risen to over 900.
US Response Efforts
U.S. Southern Command is leading on-the-ground operations on behalf of the U.S. Department of War and the State Department. SOUTHCOM announced Friday that it is “surging airlift, sealift, and logistics capabilities,” including two naval ships, the USS Fort Lauderdale and USS Billings, which were deployed to the Caribbean in support of counter-narco operations, and were diverted to “waters near Venezuela.”
In addition to the ships, two C-17 Globemasters were carrying urban search-and-rescue teams, likely from Fairfax County, Va., and Los Angeles, as announced Thursday by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The search and rescue teams include “80 experts per team,” comprising firefighters, doctors, structural engineers and specialty-trained canines, according to the U.S. Embassy in Caracas.
The U.S. is also delivering load-movement equipment, an airfield assessment team and three U.S. Army Chinooks to support “critical airlift,” according to SOUTHCOM. Several countries from around the world are jumping in to assist Venezuela, including Mexico, El Salvador and Colombia.
Long-term Needs
Rubio described to reporters Thursday what some of those operations may look like in the immediate aftermath of the disaster. “We’re also helping them with some overhead imagery, especially in coastal areas where they don’t have full visibility over what the damage has been and what the impact has been. Those are acute, like short-term needs over the next 48 to 72 hours,” said the secretary of state.
Rubio said there will also be long-term needs in Venezuela, such as housing. He said the U.S. will also assist in restoring communications and in managing what he expects to be a “surge of private donations.”
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
