Venezuela earthquake: ‘People are still afraid to go back into their homes’

Overall, up to 6.8 million people could be affected by the state of emergency by Wednesday, based on the latest population and damage projections, according to the UN migration agency. IOM.

More than 41,000 people were also reported missing through online portals.

And amid reports that rescue teams were digging with their bare hands at some of the quake’s epicenters, people “still afraid to re-enter their homes or other structures” and requires assistance, reported the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), a UN partner.

“People are leaving everything behind and nothing is working as it should or as it should in these regions. So, making sure that people can actually survive with the essentials is our priority on the ground,” IFRC spokesperson Loyce Pace, Regional Director for the Americas, told reporters in Geneva, via video from Panama City.

Many medical needs are very important. “The top priority is to provide health services that can save lives and save as many people as possible, because the first hours, as you know, are critical to saving lives,” said Dr Ciro Ugarte, Director of Health Emergencies for the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Regional Office for the UN World Health Organization (WHO).

Dr Ugarte described medical teams as being under pressure to triage mass casualties and provide trauma care for fractures, burns and other injuries related to building collapses, especially in areas where search and rescue operations were underway.

The senior medical officer also noted that access remains “extremely difficult” for all teams working in the field and especially those in the health sector, making it difficult to carry out a full assessment of the situation. “We are struggling hard to reach all health facilities,” he explained.

Besides emergency medical care, people “who have lost everything” need temporary shelter, clean water, sanitation, health services, protection and essential relief goods, said Zoe Brennan of the UN migration agency, IOM. Later, recovery needs to be sustained “to help families rebuild their homes, restore livelihoods and recover with dignity”, he stressed.

Aid agencies highlighted how the earthquake hit an already vulnerable country; millions of citizens live abroad after fleeing a long-standing economic crisis and ongoing human rights violations Human Rights Council investigation.

Confirming the internet outage in Venezuela, the UN human rights office, OHCHRsaid that “pre-existing restrictions” remained in effect in the first hours after the earthquake.

“We call, as we have called before, to take steps to safeguard the digital space and guarantee the right to information and freedom of expression as well as access to digital media in Venezuela,” said OHCHR spokesperson Marta Hurtado.