The La Guaira port in Venezuela has been declared operational following repair work and is now serving as a conduit for earthquake relief supplies, according to a statement from the US military issued on Monday.
Last week, consecutive earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude struck off Venezuela’s Caribbean coast, causing widespread building collapses, damaging the nation’s primary airport, and resulting in over 1,700 fatalities with tens of thousands still unaccounted for.
As one of Venezuela’s two principal seaports, La Guaira is now functional, with the USS Fort Lauderdale utilizing it to transport essential supplies and equipment to the affected areas, US Southern Command announced in a statement regarding the deployed warship supporting relief operations.
On Monday, a senior US administration official informed reporters that a specialized Marine team had been laboring continuously to restore the port’s functionality.
Additionally, the US State Department announced that Washington has increased its aid pledge for Venezuela to over $300 million, up from an earlier commitment of $150 million.
“These funds will support emergency medical care, food assistance, water and sanitation, shelter, protection, and logistical operations,” the State Department stated.
The funding will be channeled through partner organizations such as Samaritan’s Purse, Catholic Relief Services, the International Organization for Migration, the World Food Programme, and the Red Cross, as noted in the statement.
Washington has also dispatched four urban search-and-rescue teams to Venezuela, comprising more than 300 first responders and nearly two dozen search dogs, the statement added.
The US assistance arrives amid a thawing of relations between Washington and Caracas over the past months, following the January capture of former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro by American forces and the Trump administration’s engagement with an interim government headed by Delcy Rodríguez.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)