Venezuelan business sector mobilizes aid, plans earthquake reconstruction

Venezuelan businesses are mobilizing to address the emergency caused by recent earthquakes, focusing on immediate aid and future reconstruction. Felipe Capozzolo, president of Fedecámaras, stated that the business sector has been actively involved since the disaster's onset.

"We have mobilized actively from the very first moment, coordinating with all social actors and authorities to bring machinery to the disaster zone and act decisively in rescue and assistance efforts," Capozzolo said in an interview with CNN en Español. He noted that over 60% of the country's production chambers have established collection centers to channel aid to affected families.

Capozzolo explained that once the immediate response phase concludes, efforts will shift to damage assessment and resource allocation for recovery. He emphasized the need to strengthen public-private cooperation for reconstruction, warning that the earthquake damage to infrastructure is substantial. "We are talking about more than 800 buildings that are compromised, from partially to totally," he stated regarding the affected structures.

Despite the regional emergency, national economic activity remains stable. Capozzolo reported that while La Guaira state's commerce and education sectors are nearly paralyzed, other parts of the country are functioning normally. He assured that the national supply chain is unaffected, as major production centers are located far from the earthquake-stricken areas. "The supply and provision of markets, goods, products, and services are fully guaranteed, as production zones are quite distant from La Guaira and the affected states," he added.