The US mobilises $150 million in aid for Venezuela after two powerful earthquakes kill at least 188 people and injure hundreds.
WASHINGTON: The United States said Thursday it was mobilizing $150 million in aid for Venezuela after two powerful earthquakes killed at least 188 people and left hundreds injured, as rescuers around the world raced to provide help.
The State Department said the package would include $50 million in new bilateral awards to aid groups already working in Venezuela, as well as a $100 million contribution to a UN humanitarian fund for the country.
The funding will support organizations including World Vision, Samaritan’s Purse, Catholic Relief Services, International Medical Corps, the International Organization for Migration and the World Food Program, the department said.
Washington is also deploying a Disaster Assistance Response Team and two urban search-and-rescue units from Fairfax County, Virginia, and Los Angeles County, California.
“We have a whole-of-government response. It’ll be big, it’ll be fast, and it’ll be effective,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on a visit to Bahrain, telling reporters the American military would play a “big logistical role.”
US Southern Command said it was working with the State Department to support the relief operation, with the US military providing airlift, logistics and other capabilities.
The aid push follows back-to-back 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that struck near Venezuela’s Caribbean coast on Wednesday, collapsing buildings, damaging the country’s main airport and prompting warnings of heavy casualties.
State Department officials said Washington was coordinating with interim Venezuelan authorities, aid partners and the private sector to assess needs and deliver assistance in the crucial first days after the disaster.
The US response comes as ties between Washington and Caracas have warmed in recent months after American forces captured former president Nicolas Maduro in January and the Trump administration began working with an interim government led by Delcy Rodriguez.
The United States joins a growing international relief effort.
Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Cuba and others have offered rescuers, medical personnel, aircraft or humanitarian supplies.
