Search and rescue operations continued Tuesday as thousands of displaced Venezuelan survivors struggle to find shelter and humanitarians warn of spreading infectious disease.
Six days after the earthquakes struck, food shortages are widespread in La Guaira, the worst-hit state. Basic services have collapsed, connectivity is largely severed, and community tensions are rising over constrained access to aid. A rapid UNHCR assessment found nearly 40 percent of survivors are living in streets, public spaces, or improvised shelters that lack basic safety and hygiene standards. Authorities have confirmed 1,719 deaths, at least 5,034 injuries, and over 15,800 people affected or displaced.
Health services are under extreme pressure. Of 21 verified facilities across Caracas, La Guaira, Miranda, and Falcón, three are in critical condition and six have structural damage or are only partly functional, causing overcrowding, surgical backlogs, and a breakdown in biosafety and morgue services.
The World Health Organization warns of a rising outbreak risk for vaccine-preventable and vector-borne diseases, including measles, diphtheria, yellow fever, dengue, and malaria. The danger is exacerbated by low pre-quake vaccination coverage and the loss of health workers, including those responsible for maternal care in La Guaira.
A 47-metric-ton UNICEF shipment of health, water, and education supplies arrived Tuesday. Combined with an earlier shipment from Panama, it is expected to support over 100,000 children and families for three months, though UNICEF estimates 680,000 children need help and is appealing for $52 million.