The powerful twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela 16 days ago killed 3,889 people and left approximately 18,000 without homes, according to Venezuelan officials. Victims and those spared by the destruction have since flooded relief services offered by nongovernmental organizations in the hardest-hit areas, revealing the deep structural vulnerabilities of the working class.
Mobile kitchens, clinics, and field hospitals now operate in public spaces across the northern state of La Guaira, where the most severe devastation occurred. Doctors in Catia La Mar have reported a sharp increase in skin conditions and diarrheal diseases. They also note a rise in requests for medications for chronic illnesses like diabetes and high blood pressure.
These emerging health crises are directly tied to crowded living conditions and poor water and sanitation infrastructure. Such conditions, critical for public health, predated the earthquakes in many communities, exposing long-standing state neglect. Irma Echarri, 67, sought new eyedrops and pain reliever at a mobile unit, also hoping for treatment for pain in her nose developed after the tremors. “It hurts a lot,” Echarri stated, waiting to be seen. “It hurts because it hurts.”
Who Bears the Cost
The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction estimates direct physical damage to housing and infrastructure at around $37 billion. In response, the United Nations launched an appeal for roughly $300 million to assist 1.3 million people in urgent need. This sum represents a mere fraction of the total destruction. It leaves the vast majority of the burden on the dispossessed.
Tom Fletcher, head of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, observed that people at displacement sites are seeking treatment not just for immediate injuries, but for "longer-term health needs." This highlights the pre-existing healthcare deficiencies that the disaster has brought to the surface. Zulbey Reyes, 41, lost her job as a nanny due to the earthquakes and sought treatment for chest pain. “I thought it was my heart that was sick,” Reyes said after receiving medication, “But it’s a nerve that became inflamed after the screams that day.” Her experience underscores the profound economic and psychological toll on workers.
Armando Denegri, representative in Venezuela of the Pan-American Health Organization, reported that “50% of the health professionals in La Guaira were directly affected” by the earthquakes. Some disappeared, others died, and many were severely impacted, further crippling the region's already strained healthcare capacity.
The State's Shifting Stance
The widespread presence of nongovernmental organizations and the freedom with which the government now allows them to operate stands in stark contrast to recent years. Until recently, these organizations were targets of government repression. While Acting President Delcy Rodríguez served as vice president to former President Nicolás Maduro, NGOs faced repeated accusations of anti-government activities, and the U.N. local human rights office was expelled.
This sudden shift in policy reveals the state's pragmatic response to a crisis threatening social stability. It is not a fundamental change in its stance towards independent civil society. Fletcher noted, “When you have a crisis of this magnitude, people put the politics to one side and are able to focus on saving as many lives as possible, and that’s what I’m seeing so far in this response.” This perspective, however, overlooks the political roots of the crisis and the state's historical role in creating conditions of vulnerability. The United States has provided most of the earthquake-response aid, channeled through global humanitarian organizations working with local groups.
Capital's Neglect, Workers' Burden
The 190 collapsed buildings and 856 damaged structures, along with the 18,000 people left without homes, represent a massive failure of infrastructure and housing policy. The cost of this devastation, estimated at $37 billion, will ultimately be borne by the working class and the public. The international aid offered remains a temporary palliative. The crisis exposes how the systematic underinvestment in public services and the precarity of labor leave the most vulnerable to bear the brunt of both natural disasters and economic exploitation.