Who Pays First
Venezuelans searched for survivors beneath collapsed buildings Thursday after a pair of powerful earthquakes struck Wednesday evening, killing at least 188 people and leaving more than 200 trapped, according to officials. More were feared dead from the 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes, which were among the strongest in Venezuela in more than a century and were felt throughout the region. Some 1,500 people were injured, thousands were reported missing and buildings were evacuated as far away as Brazil’s Amazon.
The human cost landed immediately on ordinary people: families huddled in parks and parking lots, neighbors dug through rubble, and the injured were pulled out covered in dust and blood. In La Guaira, Cristian Carreño stared at his charred apartment building tilting precariously to one side and said, “I lost everything. There are people still inside, I imagine, that couldn’t get out. It’s incredibly devastating.” In downtown Caracas, María Cristina Díaz, a 41-year-old janitor, said, “We were afraid the buildings would collapse on us. My mother, my daughter and I were cold. We didn’t sleep a wink.”
Dayana Delgado, mother of three children, asked where the heavy machinery was that government officials had promised, pointing out that neighbors were the ones digging through the rubble. She said, “I want to know where my child is, if he’s trapped or in a shelter,” referring to her 8-year-old son who was missing. One mother sobbed and collapsed in grief as the bodies of her 3- and 10-year-old children were wrapped in blankets and carried away. Others screamed the names of missing loved ones. Some stood in silent shock.
The Apparatus Scrambles
The coastal region of La Guaira, north of the capital, Caracas, suffered some of the heaviest damage and casualties. The country’s main airport is there and was closed due to damage, complicating aid efforts. Venezuelan authorities said they were diverting rescue teams from other parts of the country to La Guaira, which is no stranger to natural disasters; a 1999 mudslide there, considered one of the country’s worst natural disasters, killed thousands.
Rodríguez appealed to businesses Thursday to make heavy construction equipment available for rescue operations and said the first rescuers from the Dominican Republic were about to land and more from other countries were expected to arrive in the coming hours. She said the government was creating a $200 million reconstruction fund for damaged hospitals and homes.
Parts of the capital lost power and cellphone service, Rodríguez said. Subway services were suspended and natural gas was shut off, she said. Classes will also be canceled for several days, and the Ministry of Education said some school buildings would be used as shelters and donation centers. Families began posting missing-person flyers with photos of loved ones, while others shared handwritten lists of names as they searched for loved ones. Venezuelans living abroad struggled to make contact with relatives.
Aid, Sanctions, and Controlled Access
The U.S. Treasury on Thursday moved to waive some sanctions until Oct. 23 to allow transactions related to earthquake relief efforts in Venezuela that would otherwise be prohibited. Offers to send aid and supplies poured in from around the world, including from the United States, Panama, Qatar, Cuba, Nicaragua, Turkey, Jordan, Barbados, Curaçao, Colombia, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Mexico, the United Nations and multilateral financial institutions, which had already communicated through various channels with the Venezuelan government to express solidarity with the people of Venezuela.
Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez said, “We are currently declaring a state of emergency, as provided for in our Constitution. I would like to thank the governments around the world that, immediately after these earthquakes occurred, reached out to Venezuela to offer solidarity and support: the United States, Panama, Qatar, Cuba, Nicaragua, Turkey, Jordan, Barbados, Curaçao, Colombia, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Mexico, the United Nations (UN), and multilateral financial institutions, all of which have already communicated through various channels with the Venezuelan government to express their solidarity with the people of Venezuela.”
Shortly after United Nations officials in Venezuela called on the government to lift social media restrictions so people can get potentially life-saving information, Venezuelans in the country were able to access X. The site had been blocked by Maduro since August 2024, in an attempt to suppress the exchange of information among those who rejected his claim of victory in the July presidential election.
What “Order” Looks Like
The U.S. Geological Survey said the first earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.2, hit west of Moron on the Caribbean coast, about 170 kilometers (105 miles) west of Caracas. It had a depth of 22 kilometers (about 14 miles). Just a minute later, USGS reported a second 7.5 magnitude earthquake, with a depth of 10 kilometers (about 6 miles) and an epicenter 16 kilometers (10 miles) southwest of Moron. Marcos Ferreira, a geophysicist and researcher at the Geological Survey of Brazil, said the one-two punch of the quakes, combined with the shallow seismic movements, amplified the destruction. He said, “It is as if I am screaming and then someone starts screaming, too. That amplifies the vibration and adds to the potential hazard.”
During the quakes, people ran from swaying buildings. Many were stunned Thursday morning as they saw buildings reduced to skeletons, furniture hanging out of windows and helicopters circling overhead. In La Guaira, the country’s main airport was closed due to damage, and few government search teams were seen outside Caracas. Venezuelan state TV showed dramatic images of rescues, including a woman who was trapped under a cement slab, only a barefoot poking out before crews managed to get her out alive.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who spoke to Rodríguez following the quake, said the United States was “immediately” deploying search and rescue teams, medical resources and other assistance, though he acknowledged the closure of Venezuela’s main airport created logistical challenges. Rubio said, “We have a whole-of-government response. It’ll be big; it’ll be fast; and it’ll be effective.”