The Venezuelan authorities have updated the balance of the double earthquake of magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 that shook the country at the end of June, placing the number of deceased at 6,509. According to the latest official data, emergency teams have managed to rescue 6,462 people alive in the devastated areas.
The president of the Parliament, Jorge Rodríguez, has disseminated these figures in a message published on social media, in which he has also detailed that 226,696 people have received medical attention in hospital centers since the beginning of the emergency.
Rodríguez, brother of the interim president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, has also specified that 60,785 homes affected by the earthquake have been inspected. Of that total, 11,001 properties have been classified as "high risk" for those who still reside in them, which requires their evacuation or urgent interventions.
This Monday, Delcy Rodríguez herself has informed about the progress in terms of relocation and reconstruction. She has indicated that, on behalf of her Executive, "335 new homes have already been delivered, benefiting 1,172 people and 1,001 homes have been recovered that benefit 3,503 people." Likewise, she has announced that it is planned to allocate "more than 4,000 homes before the end of the year and continue until every affected family has a solution."
The interim president has wanted to emphasize the commitment of the authorities to the people affected by the natural disaster and has reiterated: "No one will be left without our embrace and without our attention."
In the framework of the implementation of the Dignified and Safe Clearing Plan, coordinated with local governments, international experts, and UN specialists, Rodríguez has highlighted that "the removal of 28% of the debris in the affected areas has been completed," which amounts to about 580,000 tons removed following environmental protection criteria.
He also emphasized the human dimension of the cleaning and reconstruction process by recalling that "those rubble are not simply materials that need to be removed. There were homes, memories, and, in some cases, the entire history of a family. That is why we are doing this work with respect and dignity as we move forward in the recovery of each community." These statements have been made during an intervention broadcast on social media, in which, two months after the earthquake, he presented a global balance of social care actions and habitat rehabilitation throughout the country.