US pledges $150m in aid after Venezuelan earthquakes

**Chris Barrow** (0:00)
This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service.
I'm Chris Barrow, and in the early hours of Friday 26th June, these are our main stories. More than 200 people are now confirmed dead after two strong earthquakes devastated Venezuela. Search and rescue efforts are continuing, thousands are still missing, and the US has promised millions of dollars in aid. Here in the UK, it's been revealed that King Charles and Queen Camilla won't move into Buckingham Palace when a $500 million refurbishment is completed next year.

**Brent Seales** (0:33)
Also in this podcast, we're using x-rays to be able to see inside, and then software, including AI, to be able to actually read the evidence of the ink from the interior.

**Chris Barrow** (0:44)
Researchers have managed to read a scroll that was burnt to a crisp in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius nearly 2,000 years ago.
A massive rescue operation is gathering pace in northern Venezuela following Wednesday's devastating back-to-back earthquakes. The confirmed number of deaths has now risen to 235, and thousands are still missing. Specialist rescue teams from the US., Mexico, Qatar, Spain and the UN are searching for survivors in the rubble of collapsed buildings. The epicentre of the tremors was to the west of the capital, Caracas. Our reporter Vanessa Silva is in the city.

**Vanessa Silva** (1:23)
I'm right now in the Chacao Municipality. This is one of the areas most affected in the city, since it's the point where the geological fault line runs through. This area was affected during the earthquake that hit the city in 1967 and is affecting now.
The damage that were at that moment are now being repeated. And we can see buildings collapse. We know that at least four in this municipality, I was around two of them, where many people from the government rescue teams are gathering there. Also heavy machinery trying to remove the concrete in the hope that look for survivors.

**Chris Barrow** (2:13)
Dr Pedro Javier Fernandez, who's involved in the humanitarian effort, told us about some of the challenges.

**Pedro Javier Fernández** (2:19)
We have to remember that Venezuela is in the context of a humanitarian complex emergency. All our hospitals lack supplies, lack medicines. We are not able to provide medical attention to our people in a normal day. Now, with this tragedy, the emergency is even bigger, and it's more difficult to face than in the other country because not only the needs are more, the structure of the hospitals and the lack of medical equipment makes it even harder to provide medical attention.

**Chris Barrow** (2:57)
The response to this disaster is a big test for the government of Delcey Rodriguez and for the Trump administration. Since the US military intervention in January, when the Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro, was abducted and flown to the United States, his former deputy has been running the country but is heavily dependent on decisions taken far away in Washington.
The United States has pledged to contribute $150 million in aid and to supply two military ships, transport planes and helicopters to help with relief efforts. But how all that pans out will be closely watched. Until last year, it would have been the aid agency USAID that responded to a disaster like this. But as part of spending cuts, masterminded by Elon Musk, many of its employees were dismissed and those left were absorbed into the State Department. Rebecca Bill Chavez was Deputy US. Assistant Secretary of Defense under President Barack Obama.

**Rebecca Bill Chavez** (3:49)
There is a lot of muscle memory in USAID about how to react to these sorts of natural disasters. So that is gone. And it's going to be interesting because the capacity now at the State Department, it's much thinner.
It could very easily become very improvised. Something else that USAID had was that it had long-term partnerships with organizations like the UN, with the International Committee of the Red Cross. So it's going to be very telling, I think, to see. It's going to be a challenge.

**Chris Barrow** (4:22)
I asked our Washington correspondent, Hal Griffith, whether the American aid is a significant amount.

**Hal Griffith** (4:28)
I think it is compared to some of the nations. Whether it will be enough, I doubt it will be the only amount they will need to spend.
As you said, a total of $150 million. Now $50 million of that will go towards NGO spending in the area, partly to the World Food Programme, to International Medical Corps, to Samaritan's Purse, people who have a presence already, and then a further $100 million contributed to the UN Office, which is coordinating the international response. So while it is a start, I'm sure more will be needed globally, but certainly there may be even an expectation that the White House will be prepared to spend even more in the coming days.