CARACAS, VENEZUELA (BP)—Devastating news continues streaming out of Venezuela as the death toll keeps rising. Many suspect the June 30 total of 1,719 victims may only be scratching the surface of the total loss of life from last week’s earthquakes.
“As we see the scale of the damage and the rising death toll coming into sharper focus, we know that the recovery effort in Venezuela is going to require significant effort,” said Jason Cox, vice president of international ministry for Send Relief.
“Local Venezuelan churches are already stepping up to help their neighbors, and Send Relief is already coming alongside them because of our long relationship and work in the country through the International Mission Board.”
A United Nations representative shared with media outlets that the current death toll is based on the number of bodies recovered during search and rescue efforts.
The number of people still missing is practically impossible to track reliably, but unofficial numbers put the total in tens of thousands.
With so many areas impacted, The New York Times reported one expert’s estimate that a final death toll of more than 10,000 “remains grimly feasible,” given the magnitude of the quakes, the density of the population in the region, and the durability of the infrastructure.
Send Relief and local churches
Six days after the pair of June 24 earthquakes, national leadership is still working to remove the millions of tons of debris in some of the hardest-hit regions, such as the coastal state of La Guaira.
The response has also been slowed by a dearth of heavy machinery, meaning many who may have been buried alive may not be saved in time. The global humanitarian response has meant the arrival of additional teams to assist with digging through the rubble.
Send Relief is supporting the efforts of local churches that have mobilized to meet the needs of displaced survivors. One of the pastors of those churches, Alexis Cortez, shared an update with Send Relief.
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“It was an intense day. We were out helping until nearly midnight yesterday and started very early this morning. The tremors are continuing,” Cortez said.
“Today, we provided aid to several areas, visited two shelters to deliver essential supply kits and hot soup, and sent food as far as La Guaira. There are many people helping and a lot of activity on the streets. We are directly assisting families who have been displaced.”
Even before the earthquakes struck, Venezuelans’ access to proper medical care and supplies had been challenging, and Send Relief worked through local churches to provide medical care to their neighbors.
In fact, since 2017, Send Relief has helped more than 3 million people in Venezuela and the region. That work continues even as communities recover from the earthquakes.
Ongoing disaster recovery
A disaster response team from the mission board of the Baptist convention in Brazil, Junta de Missões Mundiais, arrived to support the efforts of the Convención Nacional Bautista de Venezuela.
“With much gratitude, we received these brothers, thanking the Lord for their lives and ministries,” said the Convención Nacional Bautista de Venezuela in a Facebook post.
“We are sure that they will be channels of blessing, help, and hope in the midst of the crisis sweeping our country.”
Even after Venezuela moves past the agonizing, immediate rescue and recovery period, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of structures that did not collapse will be uninhabitable. They will need to be torn down and rebuilt.
More than 58,000 buildings in the nation are reported to have been destroyed or damaged by the pair of earthquakes that are the strongest to hit Venezuela in nearly 125 years. The total estimated cost of the damage currently sits around $7 billion.
Send Relief continues its work through the Convención Nacional Bautista de Venezuela churches and other local partners to help meet immediate needs. Send Relief will post updates and ways to give at SendRelief.org.
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