Japanese-American structural engineering expert Hideki Miyamoto in an interview in Venezuela. Photo: Alejandro Cremades/El Estímulo.
The Japanese-US structural engineer Hideki “Kit” Miyamoto called the double earthquake that occurred in Venezuela on June 24 “the third most complex natural disaster worldwide, surpassed only by the earthquakes in China in 2008 and Turkey in 2023.”
In an interview with Venezolana de Televisión (VTV) on Monday, July 13, the urban resilience specialist highlighted the quick, organized, and efficient response by the government of Venezuela in light of the earthquake’s magnitude.
Similarly, Miyamoto valued the cooperation between Venezuelan rescue teams and international organizations to immediately address the needs of civilian populations in affected areas.
After assessing the damage in the areas, his firm, Miyamoto International, is currently advising the Venezuelan Ministry of Public Works. Miyamoto International is an organization specializing in structural engineering and disaster risk reduction.
Miyamoto trains Venezuelan engineers
The expert said in another interview that his firm set up an initiative to train 100 Venezuelan engineers. “We have designed an app through which people can provide us information or audiovisual material that explains the conditions or cracks in the streets wherever they are, so that we can go and evaluate,” he said.
In this regard, he emphasized the importance of assessing what those damages are—at least in the hills or mountains of these areas—where unfortunately the people have been deeply impacted by the disaster.
With the technical support of delegations from Japan and Mexico, the Venezuela Reborn plan implements new engineering regulations and early warning systems. This international cooperation would ensure that future constructions in the territory can be safe and resilient to seismicity.
On July 9, the acting president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, held a meeting with Miyamoto to coordinate a housing and services plan with the aim of ensuring that future housing projects, in addition to providing dignified home for Venezuelan families, become safe and resilient urban spaces.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
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