Venezuela quake recovery will take years, says Red Cross

Recovering from the earthquakes in Venezuela will take years, the Red Cross said on Friday, one month on from the June 24 disaster that killed more than 5,000 people.

“This disaster is far from over,” said Scott Craig, spokesman for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

Health care, mental health support and access to safe drinking water were the immediate priorities, he added, as many families were still relying on bottled water for drinking, cooking and washing.

“Survivors are living with anxiety, fear, sadness and sleeplessness as they grieve relatives, homes, jobs and livelihoods lost,” he told reporters in Geneva according to AFP.

“More than 5,000 people are dead, close to 17,000 injured, and some 23,000 are still living in temporary shelters,” he added.

“Health centres, schools, water systems, power and sewerage were destroyed or badly damaged.”

Thousands of people with chronic health conditions were still not getting regular treatment, threatening their health, he further added.

The 7.5- and 7.2-magnitude earthquakes struck north of the capital Caracas, destroying hundreds of buildings, particularly in the hardest-hit state of La Guaira.

A month on, search efforts continue for bodies buried underneath rubble, but operations have evolved to focus on post-earthquake humanitarian aid and rebuilding.