Latest earthquake: Food increasingly scarce for thousands of Venezuelan families

Before the disaster occurred, the World Food Program (WFP)WFP) has helped around 500,000 people through school meals and community support. Now, the agency is shifting its work toward emergency relief.

Holding the hands of his three young children, a stricken father told the UN humanitarian team that he no longer had shelter, water or food.

The children’s mother was hospitalized in Caracas, and the family lost neighbors and relatives under the rubble.

Hungry and homeless

The scene, depicted from La Guaira by WFP Director in Venezuela, Stephanie Hochstetter, captures a new urgency in the wake of the earthquake: for many families, surviving the disaster also meant wondering where their next meal would come from.

“It’s heartbreaking to see the hopelessness,” he said, speaking at a virtual press conference for UN correspondents from one of the integrated service centers the UN has set up in the region.

WFP has distributed emergency food packages to 1,200 people in La Guaira, one of the worst-hit areas, and is preparing to scale up aid to reach half a million people in shelters over the next three months.

“The need for food, clean water, shelter and essential services is urgent and critical,” said Ms Hochstetter, speaking from the coastal state.

Uncertainty reigns

In centers established after the earthquake, some families can still cook. The problem is that many people can no longer afford to buy food regularly.

Destruction of homes and infrastructure, coupled with loss of income and disruption of services, has left thousands of people in extreme uncertainty.

WFP distributes ready-to-eat products and meals that families can prepare themselves.

The agency currently has more than 3,000 tons of food in Venezuela, enough to feed more than 10,000 families for two months.. They also purchase supplies locally and maintain reserves in Colombia that can be reallocated quickly if need exceeds the country’s available capacity.

Initial appeal

WFP has launched an initial appeal for $15 million to provide emergency food, logistics support and emergency communications to half a million people over the next three months.

This figure is a first estimate. Needs may increase as humanitarian teams reach remote communities and complete damage assessments in areas worst affected by the earthquake.

Ms Hochstetter warned the emergency would not end once attention over the earthquake fades.

“What we’ve learned from other earthquakes of this magnitude is that when the spotlight fades, the need doesn’t go away,” he said.

The backup is ready to be moved

The ports of La Guaira and Puerto Cabello remain operational for humanitarian assistance, keeping open the main routes for the arrival of food and other supplies.

In addition to reserves in Venezuela and Colombia, more than 1,400 tons of relief goods from various organizations are stored at WFP’s regional logistics center in Panama, ready for delivery.

The agency works with authorities and other humanitarian partners at integrated service points where food and other basic services are distributed. However, reaching more remote communities requires special operations, as many families cannot travel to these centers.

The immediate priority is to prevent the loss of homes or family members from turning into a protracted hunger crisis.