Venezuelan emergency response teams deployed in Cumanacoa, Sucre state, Venezuela, a town severely affected by the flooding of the Manzanares River after the passage of Hurricane Beryl. Photo: X/@RCamachoVzla.
The deaths of three people, two men and one woman, have been confirmed as a result of the heavy rainfall in Cumanacoa, capital of the Montes municipality in the state of Sucre, in the east of Venezuela, due to the passage of Hurricane Beryl that caused the Manzanares River to overflow.
The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, reported this information this Tuesday, July 2, adding that four people are missing, and that search efforts have already been initiated via the civic-military-police union. “Our condolences and sympathy go out to their families,” he stated during his broadcast address at 9:30 pm on Tuesday, declaring “full support to those families who lost their loved ones.” The national leader said that 8,000 houses were affected by the rains, of which 400 were completely lost and 1,200 need heavy repairs.
President Maduro explained that Civil Protection is carrying out the damage surveys together with the Bolivarian National Armed Force (FANB). “We have a task with the Great Venezuela Housing Mission,” he said, “that we have to carry out with the communal municipal circuits, the communal councils, to build these houses where the people indicate that it needs to be done.”
The president also reported that three schools have completely collapsed, and ordered the Military Community Brigades for Education and Health (Bricomiles) to take care of the infrastructure of the affected schools. He explained that around 80 families are in temporary shelters, so two donation centers have been set up where they can access necessary resources.
President Maduro instructed the minister for education, Yelitze Santaella, to immediately assess the damage caused by the floods in order to start the necessary reconstruction and refurbishing work. “Minister Yelitze Santaella must be there tomorrow with a special team,” he said, “alongside the Bricomiles team, to assess what’s been lost.”
The head of state noted that the serious situation that occurred in Cumanacoa, Sucre State, is being addressed in real time. “We are doing this in a comprehensive manner, on time, addressing each front and supporting and protecting the noble people of Sucre State,” he explained, “we are mitigating, rescuing, protecting, and resolving in real time.”
The president recalled the 1999 Vargas Tragedy, the most devastating disaster of the time that occurred in the country, that was attended to by Commander Chávez. “We learned from the tragedy of the then-Vargas state, today La Guaira, that when extreme situations like these occur, as we saw in Tejería, and in Tovar in 2022, support efforts are activated for all those affected, and we are prepared for all contingencies.”
The Venezuelan leader also reported that during the emergency response operations, a team led by Vice President Delcy Rodríguez that had already been deployed supervising the government response operation in the region got hit by a falling tree, injuring several government officials, including VP Rodríguez.
Electricity service restored to 70% in Montes municipality
Electricity service has been restored to 70% in the municipality of Montes, following the damage caused by the overflow of the Manzanares River. The minister for electric energy, Jorge Márquez, explained that efforts are aimed at restoring the San Lorenzo Circuit back to 100% capacity, which generates 1.5 megawatts, necessary to recover all the electric energy in the area.
The commander of the Comprehensive Defense Zone (ZODI), Vice Admiral Luciano Francisco Fernández, explained that the emergency response teams remain active “bringing drinking water to the entire affected population,” a mission for which they have five super tankers and eight traditional tankers. He explained that the comprehensive care for the affected population of Cumanacoa also includes the distribution of supplies to food houses to guarantee the preparation of meals.
The FANB and local law enforcement agencies also remain deployed to clear roads, an action carried out by teams and machinery from the Ministry for Public Works. “We are clearing everything so that, in the morning, people will be able to see a change, to see that there is well-being,” Fernández said.
Food distribution
The minister for food, Carlos Leal Tellería, reported that 408 tons of food and 135 tons of animal protein will be distributed. “We have food available in collection centers to last 15 days for the population of Cumanacoa.”
He added that three logistics centers for food were enabled: “the Juan Rangel educational unit, the Luis Beltrán Sanabria educational unit, and the Guadalupana educational unit,” explaining that “these are the three distribution centers that will be available for the population during the night and tomorrow, for the entire affected population without exception.”
Tellería reported that six food centres have been set up “to be able to distribute hot food to the entire affected population, which we estimate to be 7,60o families making up a total of 40,000 people.” He also emphasized that they are coordinating with “the 54 leaders of the Local Supply and Production Committees,” to assist families and communities in the area from a local standpoint.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/AU
