President Donald Trump pledged Wednesday to deploy U.S. resources to earthquake-stricken Venezuela after back-to-back tremors of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 struck near the country’s northern coast, flattening buildings in the capital Caracas and prompting a state of emergency. “The…
S. stands ready, willing, and able to help,” Trump said in a Truth Social post Wednesday evening stateside. The president added that he had instructed all government agencies to prepare to “move quickly,” calling Venezuela’s people the “new and great friends.” Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said earlier in the day that the U.S. was in touch with Venezuelan authorities and has been mobilizing assistance for the South American nation
Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodriguez declared a state of emergency in a national address on Wednesday night, and later said at least 164 people were killed and 971 were injured, according to Reuters. The State Department has already mobilized a disaster assistance team and task force to deliver and coordinate critical assistance to Venezuelans, including search and rescue teams, medical supplies, and humanitarian resources, according to senior State Department official Jeremy Lewin. The U.S.
Geological Survey issued two consecutive red alerts through its PAGER system, and estimated a 41% probability that fatalities could exceed 10,000 and a 17% chance they could reach 100,000. The authority also projected that the devastating earthquake could dent Venezuela’s GDP by up to 7%. In a video message posted on X Thursday morning, Rodriguez thanked the Trump administration for providing “support and solidarity,” and the Dominican Republic for sending rescue teams to Venezuela.