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The United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) announced on Thursday the mobilization of joint military forces to support relief operations in Venezuela, in response to the devastating earthquakes that struck the northern part of the country on Wednesday.
Two earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 struck the states of Yaracuy and Carabobo just 39 seconds apart at 18:04 local time, approximately 160 km west of Caracas.
The 7.5 magnitude earthquake is the strongest recorded in Venezuela since 1900, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
In its official statement, SOUTHCOM indicated that it acts "by instruction of the Department of War" and works in coordination with the Department of State.
“Our joint forces are rapidly mobilizing to bring the unmatched capabilities of aerial transportation, logistics, and rescue of the U.S. military to save lives and support the Government of Venezuela during this crisis,” the command stated.
SOUTHCOM also reported that it has established an operational planning team with experts from the Office of Humanitarian Assistance, responsible for advising staff and leadership in planning and mission decisions.
In addition, it initiated close coordination with allies and regional partners who committed to joining the international assistance.
President Donald Trump authorized a package of 150 million dollars in humanitarian assistance: 50 million allocated to organizations already operating in Venezuela —including Samaritan's Purse, Catholic Relief Services, and the World Food Program— and 100 million to the joint fund of the UN OCHA.
Trump declared on Truth Social that the initial reports are "not good" and that the United States is "ready, willing, and able to help" its "new and great friends" in Venezuela.
The Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the acting president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, to coordinate the response and express solidarity. Rubio also announced the deployment of urban search and rescue teams from Fairfax, Virginia, and Los Angeles, California, made up of firefighters, doctors, structural engineers, and search dogs, and warned that the critical window to locate survivors under the rubble is 48 to 72 hours.
The official balance at the close of this Thursday rises to 188 deceased, 1,520 injured, 157 missing, and 200 people trapped under rubble, according to Jorge Rodríguez, president of the Venezuelan National Assembly.
The state of La Guaira is the most devastated area, with a massive collapse of buildings in Catia La Mar and Los Corales, while in Caracas at least two buildings collapsed in the Chacao municipality and over 250 structures were damaged.
The USGS issued a maximum-level Red Alert and its probabilistic estimation system PAGER calculates a 37% to 42% probability that the final death toll will be between 10,000 and 100,000 people, although this is an automatic projection and not an actual count.
Rodríguez's response marked an unprecedented diplomatic shift: he publicly thanked Trump and Rubio for their support, in a gesture that would have been unthinkable under Nicolás Maduro's government, which in 2019 dismissed American humanitarian aid as "crumbs of rotten and contaminated food."
In addition to the U.S., the international community swiftly mobilized: Spain deployed 54 military personnel from the Emergency Military Unit, the UN declared itself "fully mobilized," and chef José Andrés announced a donation of one million dollars for relief efforts.
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