US cites 'unique relationship' with Venezuela after quakes

Bilateral Coordination

A senior US official on Saturday emphasized Washington's close coordination with Venezuela's interim authorities following twin earthquakes that struck the South American nation earlier this week, noting the deployment of military assets and humanitarian teams to the disaster zone. The official told reporters that the two governments are working together to address urgent needs and restore logistics networks in affected areas. "We have a unique relationship, obviously, with the interim authorities, and we're working very closely with them to address the needs, to get the logistics up and running," the official said.

Airport Operations

One runway at Simon Bolivar International Airport near Caracas is now operational, allowing increased aid deliveries through US coordination with the interim government, while the second runway remains unusable because of damage, the official said. Mobile hospitals are arriving in the country, additional Starlink terminals are being deployed to restore communications, and two 80-person US search and rescue teams have already assisted in locating survivors. Responding to reports of limited access to some of the hardest-hit areas, the official said the main challenge was coordinating flights into damaged airfields. "You've got a lot of different groups from all around the world trying to land at the same airfield, trying to get a picture of what air assets are open, trying to get limited ground logistics to get over there, so that's something that you deal with in every single one of these situations," the official said.

Naval Support

The official said the USS Fort Lauderdale "is now in position, and so we're able to airlift people to use the medical facilities as necessary on that vessel, and to use it to do command and control on logistics, and to use their airlift." The naval vessel is supporting broader humanitarian efforts as Venezuela grapples with the aftermath of Wednesday's seismic events. According to the US Geological Survey, the magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck 23 kilometers southeast of Yumare in Yaracuy state, while the magnitude 7.2 temblor hit 23.9 kilometers northeast of San Felipe in the same state, with the two events separated by just 39 seconds on Wednesday.