The U.S. Urban Search and Rescue teams that operated in Venezuela following the devastating earthquakes on June 24 concluded their mission on Monday and began their journey home, as announced by the U.S. Embassy in Caracas in a heartfelt farewell message.
The four units deployed —Virginia Task Force 1, the Los Angeles County Fire Department, the City of Miami Fire Department, and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue— were part of a deployment of 312 rescuers and 18 dog teams who worked for nearly two weeks among the debris.
"Your bravery and professionalism in Venezuela saved lives and brought hope during an extremely critical moment. You leave an indelible mark of solidarity," wrote the diplomatic representative in the message published this Monday.
The official also attributed the operation to the "strong leadership" of President Donald Trump and the support of the State Department, calling the deployment a humanitarian effort with a "real and direct impact on the affected communities."
One of the rescuers, in a video released by the Embassy, described the magnitude of what they found upon arrival: "I have been to disaster zones, I've gone to earthquakes and you see that they are affected areas, sectors of the city. Here, it's everything, I mean, an entire city in total loss. This is indescribable."
Another team member explained the motivation that kept them going during the mission: "At the moment the dogs bark and indicate that they have found someone who may be alive, it gives us a rush of adrenaline that motivates us to work even harder to rescue a person, whether it’s a child, a mother, or a father."
The first U.S. military plane landed in Venezuela on June 26, just two days after the double earthquake of magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 that shook the Morón area in Carabobo state, with only 39 seconds between the two tremors.
The earthquake is considered the most destructive in Venezuela since 1900.
Florida Task Force 1 arrived on June 28, transporting 79 rescuers, six K-9 canine units, and about 70,000 pounds of equipment aboard a C-17 Globemaster III. In total, the international operation mobilized over 4,000 rescuers from more than 15 countries.
The official death toll stands at 3,342 dead and 16,740 injured according to the Venezuelan government's report as of July 5, although these numbers contrast with international projections: the U.S. Geological Survey estimated between 10,000 and 100,000 fatalities, while the UN estimates between 50,000 and 68,000 missing, a figure that citizen platforms raise to over 71,000 people unaccounted for.
The financial commitment from Washington exceeded 300 million dollars on July 1, doubling the initial 150 million announced by Trump on June 25. On July 2, the U.S. also suspended sanctions on Venezuela until October 23 to facilitate relief transactions.
The deployment was made possible thanks to the new bilateral diplomatic framework: the U.S. Embassy in Caracas had reopened on March 30, 2026, after being closed since 2019, which allowed the Venezuelan government to officially accept assistance from Washington.
"One should never lose hope," summarized one of the rescuers as he said goodbye. "Every time we go out, we have the opportunity to save a life."
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