The U.S. State Department is deploying disaster response teams to Venezuela after two powerful earthquakes struck the northern part of the country, causing widespread devastation.
US Response Efforts
The U.S. is providing $150 million in aid to partners on the ground, including the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and Catholic Relief Services. The response teams include personnel from Los Angeles, California, and Fairfax County, Virginia.
Battalion Chief Robert Schoenberger, who helps lead Virginia Task Force 1, described the challenges they are expecting. “We do anticipate that mass chaos and bringing that home to what we do here from home there to kind of settle that and ultimately get people out, and that’s what we’re really there for,” Schoenberger said.
The International Organization for Migration estimates that more than 6.7 million people in Venezuela could be affected by the earthquakes, and recovery efforts may take years.
Original reporting: WPBF West Palm Beach — read the source article.
