CATIA LA MAR, Venezuela — Weeks after powerful back-to-back earthquakes devastated parts of Venezuela, both survivors of the disaster and others in surrounding communities are overwhelming relief services being provided by nongovernmental organizations in the most severely affected areas.
The mounting demand for assistance comes as the United Nations announced an appeal for approximately $300 million to reach 1.3 million people in desperate need of help across the South American nation — a country where nongovernmental organizations had until recently faced government crackdowns. Mobile kitchens, traveling clinics, and field hospitals have now been set up in public spaces throughout the northern state of La Guaira, which bore the brunt of the destruction.
U.N. relief chief Tom Fletcher visited Venezuela and spoke with the Associated Press about what he is witnessing on the ground. “It is clear at displacement sites that, particularly after two weeks, that people are turning up because they haven’t been able to get their other treatments,” Fletcher said. “So, they’re not turning up with just the fractures now, they’re turning up with those longer-term health needs. And it’s vital that we’re there for them.”
Medical workers treating patients in the community of Catia La Mar on Thursday reported a noticeable rise in skin problems and diarrheal illnesses, along with a growing number of requests for medications used to manage chronic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Health officials noted that the worsening conditions are linked to overcrowded living spaces and inadequate access to clean water and sanitation — problems that existed in many communities even before the earthquakes struck.
One resident, 67-year-old Irma Echarri, arrived at a sidewalk mobile medical unit across from a local church clutching the boxes of her usual eyedrops and pain medication, hoping medical staff could replenish her supply. She also sought help for nose pain that developed following the June 24 earthquakes.
“It hurts a lot,” Echarri said while waiting to be seen. “It hurts because it hurts.”
Although Echarri’s own home was left intact, many of her neighbors have been displaced. Venezuelan officials report that 190 buildings collapsed and another 856 were damaged in the twin earthquakes, which claimed the lives of 3,811 people.
The government of acting President Delcy Rodríguez has estimated that roughly 18,000 people were left homeless by the disaster. Those displaced are now sheltering in schools, on sidewalks, in parks, plazas, and other public areas.
Fletcher, who leads the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, told the AP that the United States has contributed the largest share of earthquake relief aid so far. Much of the on-the-ground assistance is being carried out by local Venezuelan organizations working alongside international humanitarian groups.
Among those seeking care is 41-year-old Zulbey Reyes, who visited a clinic run by the Venezuela-based organization Paluz in collaboration with the global relief agency International Rescue Committee. Reyes, who also lost her job as a nanny due to the earthquakes, came in for newly developed chest pain.
“I thought it was my heart that was sick,” Reyes said after receiving a diagnosis and medication. “But it’s a nerve that became inflamed after the screams that day.”
The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction has placed the total direct physical damage to housing and infrastructure at around $37 billion.
The open presence of nongovernmental organizations operating freely in Venezuela stands in sharp contrast to the persecution and restrictions they faced in recent years. During the tenure of former President Nicolás Maduro — when acting President Rodríguez served as vice president — these organizations were repeatedly accused of working against the government, and the U.N.’s local human rights office was expelled from the country.
Fletcher acknowledged the political shift, saying: “When you have a crisis of this magnitude, people put the politics to one side and are able to focus on saving as many lives as possible, and that’s what I’m seeing so far in this response.”
