More than two weeks after Venezuela was rocked by devastating twin earthquakes, international support has begun to wane. While rescue teams and humanitarian workers from around the world mobilized to save lives in Venezuela following the disaster, many have gone home as the chance of finding survivors dwindled.
The humanitarian response to the crisis is turning instead to long-term challenges. International organizations and local aid workers say the crisis is far from over, and that the country needs help from abroad now more than ever. A coalition of humanitarian organizations and regular citizens have been supporting survivors of the earthquake, collecting, transporting, and distributing vital medical aid, drinking water, and food in Caracas and La Guaira.
The Pan American Health Organization has warned of a heightened risk of diseases spreading in the aftermath of the disaster, citing low pre-event vaccination coverage for illnesses like tetanus, yellow fever, and measles. Transmissible diseases can spread easily in the squalid conditions of displacement camps, which are housing nearly 20,000 people displaced by the earthquake.
Many NGOs are focusing their efforts on protecting survivors from new health risks. "These people are on the streets, sleeping in precarious conditions, and that's where diseases spread," said a psychologist attending to victims at a camp in downtown Caracas. A mobile health unit is traveling between Caracas and La Guaira providing assistance to local communities.
Housing the homeless is another pressing concern, with 17,907 people unable to return home following the disaster. A US$200m fund to rebuild homes lost in the disaster has been established, but many have lost hope in the state's ability to provide safe accommodation.
Even if the government can secure the $200m, the earthquakes inflicted as much as US$37 billion in damages to infrastructure, according to the United Nations. The damage was inflicted on a country already struggling from a prolonged economic crisis.
Public services like health or education or other services were already overstretched before, and now after these earthquakes, the services have been further disrupted, said an IRC official. People who were already struggling to make ends meet and who were already struggling to get these basic services are now further impacted.
The crisis in Venezuela will not be over any time soon, and the international community must accompany the country in its long-term recovery, said the IRC official. It's essential that the world and international community step up and continue providing support and funding for the long-term recovery in Venezuela.
However, some of those affected by the earthquake say the only real long-term solution is employment, rather than aid. "We want help that will get us a job. We don't want them to give us a bed, or a mattress, or a TV. We want them to give us a job so we can work hard and buy them ourselves," said a woman from Caracas who cannot return to her home due to damage.
For many Venezuelans, the message to the international community is clear: "We need you to help us.
