Inside José Gervasio Artigas Temporary Rescue Camp, located in Catia, Caracas. Photo: Alba Ciudad.
According to latest reports this Wednesday, July 8, a total of 17,907 people are currently homeless and 190 buildings have completely collapsed in Venezuela following the recent seismic disaster. The president of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, presented this latest official count on infrastructural and housing damage during a briefing detailing the government’s ongoing crisis response.
Infrastructural damage and housing crisis
During the briefing, Rodríguez explained that technical inspections have recorded 856 damaged buildings across the national territory, in addition to the fully collapsed structures. Meanwhile, ongoing seismological monitoring has tracked an accumulated total of 1,102 aftershocks, keeping risk management agencies on alert for further damage to come.
Human impact and rescue operations
Rodríguez reported that the death toll has now reached 3,811, while the number of injured stands at 16,740. He also noted that rescue efforts have successfully brought 6,462 people to safety; however, this figure has remained stagnant from the last report, indicating a lack of recent new rescues. To date, the emergency response has provided direct assistance to 86,794 affected families so far.
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Humanitarian logistics and field deployment
To address the housing and health crises, the government has established 87 temporary shelters, where 27,398 patients have received medical care. In terms of logistics, the official report confirms the distribution of 9,603 tons of food and 9,689,528 liters of potable water to the hardest-hit communities.
Finally, the parliamentarian highlighted the massive operational deployment in the affected areas, which currently comprises 30,076 security and rescue personnel. This force is supported on the ground by the work of 28,992 Venezuelan volunteers, as well as the technical expertise of 4,388 international rescuers.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/AU
