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Venezuela Clears 28% of Earthquake Debris After Two Months
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Disasters & Emergencies

Venezuela Clears 28% of Earthquake Debris After Two Months

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • Venezuela has cleared 28% of the debris from earthquakes that struck on June 24, according to acting president Delcy Rodríguez.
  • Over 600,000 tons of debris have been removed, with international cooperation aiding the effort.
  • The earthquakes caused at least 6,509 deaths, and thousands remain in temporary shelters as reconstruction efforts continue.

Two months after earthquakes devastated northern Venezuela, acting president Delcy Rodríguez announced that 28% of the debris has been cleared from affected areas. The tremors, which occurred on June 24, have resulted in at least 6,509 deaths, leaving a significant impact on the nation.

With the 'Despeje Digno y Seguro' plan, we are working with local teams, international technicians and United Nations specialists, along with other international cooperation mechanisms.

— Delcy RodríguezThe acting president detailed the efforts underway to clear debris following the earthquakes.

Rodríguez stated that 600,790 tons of debris have been removed through the "Despeje Digno y Seguro" (Dignified and Safe Clearing) plan. This effort involves local teams, international technicians, and specialists from the United Nations, alongside other international cooperation mechanisms. Experts and the government acknowledge that the complete removal of debris could take up to a year, with reconstruction still a pending project for the thousands displaced.

The earthquakes caused an emergency of a magnitude that the country had not experienced in its history.

— Delcy RodríguezRodríguez described the scale of the disaster during a national address.

More than 25,000 Venezuelans are currently housed in temporary camps. While 335 new homes have been delivered, benefiting 1,172 people, and 1,001 existing homes have been recovered for 3,503 individuals, Rodríguez pledged to deliver over 4,000 new homes by year's end. The focus is now shifting to rehabilitating living conditions and rebuilding infrastructure.

Today we are in another stage, it is about rehabilitating the living conditions of families and rebuilding better.

— Delcy RodríguezThe acting president outlined the current phase of recovery efforts.

The government also addressed the ongoing crisis in public services, exacerbated by the earthquakes. Rodríguez assured that efforts to improve electricity, water, healthcare, schools, housing, and roads are underway, with new agreements signed to enhance the thermoelectric sector. Despite acknowledging significant remaining challenges, she expressed confidence in the outlined path forward. The United States recently provided Venezuela with 20 heavy machinery units to expedite debris removal.

The earthquake aggravated and made more urgent a task in which we were already engaged.

— Delcy RodríguezRodríguez discussed how the earthquake impacted ongoing public service improvement projects.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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