CARICOM Member States Mobilise Earthquake Relief Shipment for Venezuela

On June 28, Caribbean Community governments announced plans to pool emergency assistance for Venezuela, with Guyana serving as the regional staging point for deliveries expected to reach the stricken South American country by the weekend.

As the bloc's headquarters nation, Guyana will assemble donations gathered at home and from fellow member states aboard a ship due to leave on July 3. Officials estimate the voyage will take roughly two days. The vessel can transport as much as 8,000 tons of food, water, clothing, medical goods and recovery gear to Venezuela, which suffered two powerful tremors in the middle of last week.

Authorities report the confirmed death toll has risen to nearly 1,500, and they warn the figure is likely to grow as assessments continue.

Addressing reporters over the weekend, Guyanese President Irfaan Ali said the 15-nation grouping would stand with Venezuela and that the region must answer the crisis as neighbours. "We are responding to one of the greatest humanitarian needs as a result of a disaster in Venezuela on a scale and magnitude that is unimaginable. As a good neighbor we must reach out. The people of Guyana stand ready to support in whatever capacity we can. We are outlining with great clarity the level of support from only from Guyana but coordinating and collaborating with the rest of CARICOM to provide support to the people of Venezuela," Ali said at a press briefing, surrounded by officials from the military, the private sector and those from the disaster relief commission.

Ali reported that close to 100 shipping containers had already been lined up, among them five holding essential medicines, rice, milk products and diapers. "The need is immense. This is not an easy task. It is an immense logistics operation," he said.

Guyanese military personnel will also deploy to support on-the-ground recovery work inside Venezuela. Ali noted that St. Kitts intends to forward at least three containers of food and other provisions, while Antigua has committed US$150,000 toward the regional relief drive.

Prime Minister Gaston Browne recalled that Venezuela once dispatched aircraft to evacuate Barbuda residents following a hurricane, and said Antigua and Barbuda now aim to return that kindness. "That compassionate act of solidarity and good neighborliness remains deeply etched in the memory of our nation. It is an expression of friendship that Antiguans and Barbudans will never forget," Browne said.

Jamaica and Barbados are among other member states that have signalled willingness to join the collective response and are expected to forward their contributions during the coming week.

Speaking alongside government and private-sector partners at the briefing, Ali added that a second ship stands ready to carry further donations as additional public and private contributions arrive. "The private sector is critically involved in this support and critically involved in the planning and execution of this operation. We are a country with a large number of Venezuelan nationals who work and live here. That community and the general Guyanese communities would have reached out and responded in an unbelievable way," the president stated.