Western Hemisphere Capabilities Enhance Earthquake Response in Venezuela

The earthquake that struck northern Venezuela on 24 June triggered a large-scale mobilization of humanitarian assistance and disaster response capacities in the Western Hemisphere, with the deployment of urban search and rescue teams, medical personnel, aircraft, search dogs, emergency supplies, communications specialists, and logistical support from countries across the Americas.

More than just a collection of bilateral aid efforts, the operation demonstrated how advance preparedness, common standards, and civil-military coordination enable countries to quickly integrate specialized capabilities when a disaster overwhelms a nation’s response capacity.

“An earthquake with a magnitude of 5 or more may already require international assistance. When it reaches a magnitude of 7.5, as happened in Venezuela, international cooperation is no longer optional – it becomes an immediate necessity to save lives during the first critical hours,” Luis Carlos Villegas, former Colombian Minister of Defense and former Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Coffee Region Reconstruction and Social Development Fund (FOREC), the agency created to coordinate reconstruction after Colombia’s devastating 1999 earthquake, told Diálogo.

Urban search and rescue

Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) was among the first capabilities deployed, playing a critical role in locating survivors trapped under collapsed structures. Several countries across the region have sent specialized teams to bolster Venezuelan rescue operations.

Columbia deployed its USAR COL-1 team, consisting of 63 specialists, four search dogs and nearly 12 tons of technical equipment. The mission, coordinated by Colombia’s National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD), brought together staff from multiple institutions trained to operate according to international standards in complex urban disasters.

Ecuador deployed 46 specialists from the Quito Fire Department’s USAR ECU-01 team, two search dogs, and 6 tons of emergency equipment. Panama has activated a humanitarian search and rescue mission in support of Venezuela, while the Dominican Republic has deployed specialized armed forces units as part of Operation Quisquea Solidaria 2026.

Mexico also contributed search and rescue capabilities. In addition to deploying military rescue personnel, search dogs and aircraft, members of the international rescue brigade Topos Azteca – renowned for responding to earthquakes inside and outside the region – traveled to Venezuela to support rescue operations in the worst-hit areas.

Coordinating teams from multiple countries requires more than just good faith. Many of these units operate under the methodologies and standards of the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG), a UN initiative that establishes common procedures for sector management, operational safety, communications, structural assessment, and medical care during urban collapse operations.

“When everyone is working under the same protocols, the process becomes more efficient,” Capt. Luis Bernardo Moreno Llano, commander of the Envigado Volunteer Fire Department in Colombia, whose rescuers are part of USAR COL-1, told Diálogo. “Each team knows what to do, where to work, and how to coordinate with the others.”

This interoperability was reflected in coordinated rescue operations on the ground. In La Guaira, Colombian rescuers worked alongside Venezuelan authorities and other international teams to rescue Moises, an 11-year-old boy who had been trapped under rubble for nearly 72 hours. Days later, teams from Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador and the United States helped rescue Hernan Gil, a worker who was found alive after spending more than a week under the rubble.

Medical capabilities and humanitarian support

The response in the Western Hemisphere also included medical capacity, essential supplies and humanitarian assistance to communities who lost their homes or access to services or health care.

El Salvador deployed 300 rescuers and paramedics, along with 50 tons of equipment, medicines and basic supplies. This mission represents one of the largest operational contributions made by a Central American country during the first phase of the emergency.

Brazil mobilized a humanitarian mission that included military firefighters, members of the National Civil Defense, specialists from the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel), search dogs and a KC-390 transport aircraft. The mission also included a field hospital, medicines, water purification systems and other essential supplies. The deployment of communications specialists has enhanced the vital capacity to coordinate rescue operations, medical care and humanitarian aid in areas where communications have been cut off.

From Panama, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies mobilized humanitarian supplies from its regional logistics centre, including hygiene kits, kitchen sets, mosquito nets and other essential relief items. The regional logistics center helped continue relief operations and support displaced communities and others with limited ability to access basic services.

Strategic movement

In large-scale disasters, one of the biggest challenges is converting international assistance into effective support on the ground. Transporting personnel, equipment and relief supplies relies on a complex logistics network that must continue to operate even when critical infrastructure is damaged.

“In a disaster of this magnitude, the first hurdles are usually logistical: congested airports, blocked roads, damaged ports, and broken communications,” Villegas said. “Unless these bottlenecks are resolved, even the best-trained rescue teams can become paralyzed.”

In this context, the United States contributed transportation, logistics, search and rescue, coordination, and operational support capabilities. Led by the US State Department, US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) deployed personnel, aircraft, rescue teams, and damage assessment capabilities to facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid.

More than 900 US soldiers were deployed inside Venezuela, while another 800 were deployed in Puerto Rico and Curacao to support the regional operation. According to US Marine Corps General Francis Donovan, commander of Southern Command, US forces supported search and rescue operations, helped restore airport operations, and continued to provide transportation and logistics capabilities to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to affected areas.

The operation also included damage assessment and operational intelligence. According to General Donovan, MQ-9 drones and the fusion cell in Miami helped identify damaged buildings and viable roads, providing information that directed the movement of personnel and relief supplies.

“Military forces do not replace humanitarian agencies; they provide strategic mobility, engineering, communications, and logistics capabilities that few civilian organizations can provide during the first hours of a major emergency,” Villegas said.

Prepare before disaster strikes

The response to the earthquake in Venezuela demonstrated that HADR capabilities cannot be improvised. USAR certified teams, search dogs, field hospitals, transport aircraft, communications specialists, engineers, medical personnel, and regional logistics centers are the product of years of preparation, joint training, and interagency coordination.

For Moreno, this preparation is crucial. “This level of speed will only be possible when countries maintain trained teams, well-established procedures, and constant readiness,” he said.

Across the hemisphere, natural disasters are not only humanitarian emergencies. It also tests institutional flexibility, logistical capacity, and coordination between military forces, civil protection agencies, fire departments, health authorities, and humanitarian organizations.

“Latin America, the United States, Canada and Europe remain strongly committed to helping when tragedies of this magnitude occur,” Villegas said. “Today, the capacity of the international community to mobilize assistance is greater than it was two decades ago. This spirit of solidarity remains very much alive.”

The response to the earthquake in Venezuela demonstrated that a country’s ability to cope with a large-scale disaster depends not only on its own resources, but also on how quickly it can integrate into a regional network of specialized capabilities. Certified USAR teams, strategic mobility, field hospitals, communications systems, and established coordination mechanisms have enabled assistance to reach affected communities more quickly and effectively during the critical early stages of an emergency.

The response highlighted the value of years of joint training, interoperability and institutional relationships developed before disasters strike. When national capacities are overwhelmed by an emergency, these partnerships enable countries to integrate specialized resources more quickly, coordinate operations more effectively, and save lives during the hours that matter most.

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