Venezuela earthquake: ‘People are still terrified to enter their homes again’

According to the UN migration agency, up to 6.8 million people in total could be affected by Wednesday’s emergency, based on the latest available population and damage projections. IOM.

And amid reports that rescuers are digging with their bare hands in some earthquake-hit centers, people are saying:are still terrified of returning to what their homes were or other structures” and need assistance, reported UN partner the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

“People have left everything behind and nothing is functioning as it should or as it is functioning in these areas. And so ensuring that people can literally survive with those essentials is our priority on the ground,” IFRC spokesperson Loyce Pace, regional director for the Americas, told journalists in Geneva, via video from Panama City.

Many medical needs are critical. “The top priority is to urgently provide life-saving healthcare and save as many people as possible, because the first hours, as you know, are crucial for saving lives,” said Dr. Ciro Ugarte, director of health emergencies at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the regional office of the UN World Health Organization.WHO).

Dr. Ugarte described medical teams under pressure to assess mass casualties and provide trauma care for broken bones, burns and other injuries associated with collapsing buildings, especially in areas where search and rescue operations are underway.

The senior doctor additionally noted that access remains “very difficult” for all teams working on the ground and especially for those in the health sector, making it difficult to make a thorough assessment of the situation. “We have had difficulty reaching all those health facilities,” he explained.

In addition to emergency medical care, people “who have lost everything” need temporary shelter, safe water, sanitation, health care, protection and essential relief supplies, said Zoe Brennan of the UN migration agency IOM. Later, recovery will need to continue “to help families rebuild their homes, restore their livelihoods and recover with dignity,” she stressed.