Venezuela’s Interim President Delcy Rodriguez on Thursday rejected allegations that her government reacted too slowly to destruction caused by two earthquakes which killed more than 2,000 people, after days of widespread criticism of the official response.
Civilians of all stripes – including survivors, family members, volunteer paramedics and foreign rescue teams – have descended on disaster areas, especially the hardest-hit northern state of La Guaira, since the 7.2 and 7.5-magnitude quakes struck on June 24.
Many of those digging through the rubble, along with international aid organisations, say the government’s response was slow and ineffectual, with aid like food and medical supplies delayed and an ongoing lack of heavy machinery to move debris amid ongoing search operations.
“It was a natural tragedy on a scale we never imagined, even though we knew that a seismic event could occur in our country,” Rodriguez said in her first press conference since taking power in January, after the US ousted her predecessor Nicolas Maduro. “We did not wait one, two or three days. We acted immediately.”
Four thousand officials were deployed immediately, she said, rising to 14,000 the day after and then again to a current figure of 19,000. She also issued an emergency decree to activate emergency protocols, she told journalists. “We’ve done everything in our power, and we’ll continue to do everything in our power and more,” she said, adding that she had visited children in hospitals who had lost limbs and were mourning loved ones.
“I’ve had to go through some very painful experiences,” Rodriguez said.