About 2,000 U.S. troops supporting relief efforts after Venezuela earthquakes

Nearly 2,000 members of the U.S. military are currently assisting recovery operations in Venezuela following a pair of powerful earthquakes that struck the country last week, the top officer overseeing American forces in the region said Wednesday.

Gen. Francis Donovan, who leads U.S. Southern Command, told reporters that American personnel are deployed across land, sea and air in and around Venezuela. He described the deployment as a joint effort involving the U.S. military and the Department of War, with troops working around the clock to assist local authorities.

According to Donovan, the immediate priority for those forces is locating survivors still trapped or missing in the aftermath of the quakes. Wednesday's briefing came exactly one week after the twin tremors hit, a milestone that typically marks a critical turning point in disaster response, as the odds of finding people alive beneath rubble diminish sharply with each passing day.

Beyond the search-and-rescue push, Donovan said American units are also involved in broader recovery work, including transporting and distributing essential supplies to affected communities. He did not detail exactly what goods were being moved, but such deployments typically involve food, water, medical supplies and temporary shelter materials for displaced residents.

The scale of the destruction driving this response is considerable. A satellite-based damage assessment conducted by NASA estimated that close to 60,000 buildings across Venezuela may have been damaged or destroyed by the two earthquakes. That figure, drawn from orbital imagery rather than ground surveys, points to widespread structural losses spanning homes, businesses and possibly critical infrastructure, though the full extent of casualties and displacement has not been independently detailed in Wednesday's briefing.

The U.S. military presence in the country marks a notable moment given the historically strained relationship between Washington and Caracas. American and Venezuelan officials have clashed for years over sanctions, disputed elections and diplomatic recognition, making large-scale cooperation on the ground unusual. Donovan's comments did not address how coordination with Venezuelan authorities has been structured or whether tensions have complicated relief logistics.

Disaster-response specialists generally caution that the first week after a major earthquake is the most decisive window for rescue work, since survival rates for anyone still trapped fall off steeply beyond that point. With Wednesday marking the seventh day since the quakes struck, attention within the relief effort may begin shifting further from rescue toward longer-term recovery, including debris clearance, temporary housing and rebuilding efforts for the tens of thousands of structures identified as damaged.

Officials have not indicated how long the American deployment is expected to continue or whether the size of the U.S. contingent could grow or shrink as the response moves from emergency search operations into reconstruction. Further details on casualty figures, the condition of affected regions and the trajectory of the relief mission are expected to emerge as assessments continue.

Source: CBS World