Overview
- The double earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24 caused widespread destruction and loss of life, and the government’s July 24 balance reported 5,546 dead, 16,740 injured and about 18,000 people without homes.
- Acting President Delcy Rodríguez announced on July 29 a housing package that uses the Fondo Venezuela Renace to subsidize purchases in the secondary market, offers 25-year bank loans, and covers 80% of homes up to $70,000 and 50% for homes valued $70,000–$100,000.
- Rodríguez also asked the Supreme Court (TSJ) to create a special civil jurisdiction to protect property, identity and succession rights for victims and pledged that people who lost apartments will keep rights to the land and receive state support for reconstruction.
- International support is being mobilized through a UN-led 60-day Post-Disaster Needs Assessment, a World Bank estimate of roughly $19.6 billion in direct physical damage, and a temporary U.S. Treasury easing announced July 27 to let authorized transactions for aid and recovery proceed.
- On July 30 authorities began controlled demolitions of unsafe buildings and the government has launched new construction and housing deliveries, but families still face uncertainty because official casualty and displacement figures have not been updated and reconstruction needs remain vast.