US pledges US$150mil in aid, sends warships in Venezuela quake response

WASHINGTON: The United States said Thursday it was deploying two warships, transport planes and helicopters and mobilising US$150 million in aid to assist earthquake-hit Venezuela.

The aid push follows back-to-back 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that struck near Venezuela’s Caribbean coast on Wednesday, collapsing buildings, damaging the country’s main airport and prompting warnings of heavy casualties. At least 188 people have died.

The US military’s Southern Command said in a statement that its forces would provide support for search and rescue teams and “US interagency partners as they assess damage, locate the injured, and deliver critical, life-saving assistance.”

The forces to be deployed include the amphibious transport ship USS Fort Lauderdale and the littoral combat ship USS Billings (LCS 15) as well as C-17 Globemaster and C-130 Hercules transport aircraft.

Earlier, the state department announced an aid package would include US$50 million in new bilateral awards to aid groups already working in Venezuela, as well as a US$100 million contribution to a UN humanitarian fund for the country.

The funding will support organizations including World Vision, Samaritan’s Purse, Catholic Relief Services, International Medical Corps, the International Organization for Migration and the World Food Program, the department said.

Washington is also deploying a disaster assistance response team and two urban search-and-rescue units from Fairfax County, Virginia, and Los Angeles County, California.

“We have a whole-of-government response. It’ll be big, it’ll be fast, and it’ll be effective,” US secretary of state Marco Rubio said on a visit to Bahrain, telling reporters the American military would play a “big logistical role.”

State department officials said Washington was coordinating with interim Venezuelan authorities, aid partners and the private sector to assess needs and deliver assistance in the crucial first days after the disaster.

The US response comes as ties between Washington and Caracas have warmed in recent months after American forces captured former president Nicolas Maduro in January and the Trump administration began working with an interim government led by Delcy Rodriguez.

The United States joins a growing international relief effort.

Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Cuba and others have offered rescuers, medical personnel, aircraft or humanitarian supplies.