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2026-06-26 -Signs, Portents, and the Weather-
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The death toll from the Venezuela earthquake has risen to 188
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[REGNUM.RU] The death toll from the Venezuelan earthquake has risen to 188, with more than 1,500 injured. National Assembly Speaker Jorge Rodríguez announced this on June 25.
"At this point, we regret to report 188 Venezuelans have died as a result of the earthquake. 1,520 people were injured and have been taken to hospitals and are receiving the necessary care," he said in a statement to the nation.
From the damage shown, I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't add a zero to the numbers
According to him, another 157 people are still missing, and more than 200 people remain under the rubble of destroyed buildings.
Around 250 buildings across the country were damaged or completely destroyed. Additionally, the El Palito oil refinery was forced to suspend operations due to a power outage.
Earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 magnitudes struck Venezuela on the evening of June 24. The epicenters were in the state of Yaracuy, 16 km from the city of Morón and 24 km from San Felipe. The epicenters were located at a depth of approximately 10 km. A state of emergency was declared in the country, and the Caracas airport was closed. The tremors were felt throughout the country, as well as in neighboring Colombia, Brazil, and the Caribbean islands.
American experts estimate Venezuela's economic losses from the earthquake to be between 1% and 9% of GDP. The USGS estimates the death toll could reach up to 100,000 people, with a 41% probability of such losses.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to the country's presidential envoy, Delcy Rodriguez, in connection with the devastating earthquake in the northwest of the country.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated that Russia is exploring the possibility of providing humanitarian aid to Venezuela. She also expressed condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.
Things in Venezuela Are Grim, but Shield of the Americas Leaders Aren't Looking Away
[PJMedia] In case you missed it, two major earthquakes hit Venezuela
...a country in Central America that sits on an enormous pool of oil. Formerly the most prospereous country in the region, it became infested with Commies sniffing almost unlimited wealth. It turned out the wealth wasn't unlimited, the economy collapsed under the clownish Hugo Chavez, the murder rate exceeded places like Honduras and El Salvador. A significant proportion of the populace refugeed to Colombia and points south...
on Wednesday evening — the first was a 7.2, and a 7.5 followed shortly after. They left a country that has already been through so much over the last almost three decades in ruins in certain areas. After years of neglect by Hugo Chavez and Nicolás Maduro, the infrastructure was already one natural disaster away from crumbling, and we basically watched that happen in real time on Wednesday.
As I write this on Thursday afternoon, the corpse count stands at 164 with nearly 1,000 injured. Unfortunately, 27,000 people remain missing, and rescue crews haven't even begun to scratch the surface of digging through the many, many buildings that collapsed. The country does not come close to having the ambulances, hospitals, or rescue crews to deal with something like this, thanks to Chavismo. Even if the last 27 years had been normal, it wouldn't have had what it needed to respond to a disaster of this magnitude.
But something good is happening.
It started with El Salvador's Nayib Bukele. He was the first one I saw to speak up. In the direct aftermath, he posted the following on social media:
At this moment, we have offered assistance to the Government of Venezuela through our Foreign Ministry.
300 rescuers and paramedics, along with 50 tons of equipment, medicines, and essential supplies, are ready to depart for Caracas.
Then Javier Milei and Argentina
...a country located on the other side of the Deep South. It is covered with Pampers and inhabited by Grouchos, who dance the Tangle. They used to have some islands called the Malvinas located where the Falklands are now. They're not supposed to cry for Evita...
stepped up. "Beyond any differences that may exist between our governments, President Javier G. Milei extends his hand in solidarity to the Venezuelan people in the face of this natural disaster, which demands a response from the entire international community," his office said in a statement.
Then it was President Luis Abinader of the Dominican Republic, President José Antonio Kast of Chile, President José Raúl Mulino of Panama, President Laura Fernández of Costa Rica, President Daniel Noboa of Ecuador, and so on.
These are all members of the Shield of the Americas — the ground of right-minded countries in North and South America that Donald Trump
...dictatorial for repealing some (but not all) of the diktats of his predecessor, misogynistic because he likes pretty girls, homophobic because he doesn't think gender bending should be mandatory, truly a man for all seasons...
and Marco Rubio
...The diminutive 13-year-old Republican U.S. Senator from Florida, Secretary of State in the second Trump administration...
put together to counter the cartels and adversaries taking over our hemisphere, but also to cooperate on other issues. When I first learned of the coalition, I joked that they were like the Avengers, that when there is something major playing out in the Western Hemisphere, they'd assemble, led by the United States, to handle it. That's exactly what it feels like is happening. It's wonderful to see.
Of course, other countries are offering aid, as well, like Colombia (Gustavo Petro's still in there until August, but Colombia will join the Shield when he leaves), Mexico, Spain, Brazil, Qatar
...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi...
, and Germany, but the biggest response has come from the more conservative leaders in our hemisphere.
This would not have happened if Maduro were still in charge. He would have turned away or pocketed donations and limited on-the-ground help from many of our countries. We've seen it happen in the past. Several of these countries wouldn't have even bothered. His regime would blame the damage on the sanctions from the "imperialists." Most people would go without help, and the domestic situation would become so much worse than it already was.
And, of course, we have our president and secretary of state to thank. I saw many of you say last night that there was no point in sending help because the regime, via Delcy Rodríguez, is in charge, and it won't get to where it needs to go, but that's not quite accurate. The United States is coordinating nearly everything happening in Venezuela — Delcy is just the pragmatic puppet, no matter how many nice things they say about her — and that extends to this situation. I can't tell you how many times Delcy has thanked Trump in the last 20 hours or so — a big change for the woman, who, just a year ago, was fully Team Death to America.
Thanking Trump was one of the first things she did when she spoke publicly on Wednesday night for the first time. The language she is using is almost identical to that of the Trump administration.
These presidents, like Kast, Bukele, and Milei, who are making these grand offers, aren't doing so blindly. They're coordinating with the Trump administration and the U.S. military — Rubio confirmed that today. You can also read it in the language they use. Legitimate charities will do the same.
Rubio said today that he is in contact with Delcy and Pete Hegseth because our military will be heavily involved in these recovery efforts. Search and rescue is the number one mission right now, he says, but he added that the airport was damaged, and getting supplies and personnel in and out can't necessarily be done by civilians.
While he didn't mention this directly, there is also fear of unrest. I've actually heard that directly from someone involved in the mission. Venezuela is not unique — there is always that fear after a major disaster or change — and Rubio has mentioned several times in the past that after capturing Maduro, there was also fear of some type of civil war or unrest. It didn't happen. But the people are not quite as frightened as they were six months ago, and many are just downright angry. There were actually some protests led by college students on Wednesday shortly before the earthquakes, demanding that elections take place sooner rather than later.
We're also helping with aerial imaging to assess the damage, particularly in rural and coastal areas. We've already got rescue crews on the ground there.
Someone asked me about our own personnel already in Venezuela, and Rubio says we have full accountability that everyone is safe, via the U.S. Embassy in Caracas.
Israel making 'immediate preparations' to send aid team to quake-stricken Venezuela
[IsraelTimes] Israel is making “immediate preparations” for the possible deployment of an aid delegation to Venezuela, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday, as thousands of people are potentially missing following powerful earthquakes in the South American country.
Separately, a number of Israeli nonprofits said they were mobilizing to respond to the devastating quake in Venezuela, with at least 164 people declared dead and many more feared trapped under the rubble.
The Foreign Ministry said it is “conducting a situational assessment with the relevant authorities in Israel and is examining possible avenues for assistance.”
There is currently no knowledge of any hurt or missing Israelis in the country amid the natural disaster.
The pledge comes despite Israel not having diplomatic ties with Venezuela.
Venezuela broke diplomatic ties with Israel over Operation Cast Lead in Gaza in 2008-2009, and under then-leader Nicolas Maduro, it has been one of the world’s most vocal countries in its opposition to Israel’s conduct in the war in Gaza sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, terror invasion.
However, Israel has expressed hope for better ties with Caracas since the US captured Maduro in January.
Israeli nonprofit NATAN Worldwide Disaster Relief said Thursday it was sending an emergency team to Venezuela. Six to eight professional volunteers, including medical and social workers, will deploy to the South American country and open mobile clinics “wherever needed,” the organization told The Times of Israel.
Israel’s ZAKA emergency response organization said its teams in the United States, Mexico and Israel were preparing to possibly be sent to help local authorities rescue people from the rubble. The organization said that as of Thursday afternoon, it had not received information of casualties among the country’s small Jewish community, but was in contact with local community leaders and other officials.
Fellow rescue organization IsraAid also said it was “urgently responding” to the unfolding disaster, saying it was sending a team of disaster response experts, also to assess needs and provide psychological first aid, water, sanitation, and hygiene. It said it will partner with local organizations with which it has worked pin recent years.
The SmartAID NGO said it was operating through partners in Venezuela and assessing needs, while preparing to send equipment.
The Joint Distribution Committee also said it was working with Venezuela’s Jewish community to provide food, water, medicine, and shelter. It said it was preparing to dispatch its emergency team to the country as soon as the Caracas airport opens, to expand aid to the Jewish community and the wider population.
The Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry sent a delegation of experts to Thailand last year to assist in search and rescue efforts following a major earthquake in the region. Israel’s highly trained search-and-rescue experts regularly respond to natural disasters around the globe.
Meanwhile the KKL-JNF Jewish National Fund announced Thursday an initial NIS 300,000 ($100,000) to help the Jewish community in Venezuela following the twin major earthquakes there. tHalf of this sum will be spent on immediate emergency needs, such as food, mattresses, hygiene, medical equipment and clothing. The other half is earmarked for therapy, as well as respite and educational activities.
The country had a 45,000-strong Jewish community before far-left firebrand Hugo Chávez came to power in 1999. In the years that followed, Venezuelans fled the country in droves as the government openly punished political opponents and nationalized the economy, vaporizing wealth and leading to rampant poverty, a trend that escalated after Maduro replaced Chávez in 2013. As much as 25 percent of the country’s total population is believed to have left in the last two decades, and the Jewish community dwindled to just 4,000 to 6,000, according to the latest estimates.
An international outpouring of aid quickly followed the tremors on Wednesday evening, which the United States Geological Survey measured as magnitude 7.2 and 7.5, centered west of the capital Caracas.
The toll has climbed quickly, with interim President Delcy Rodriguez reporting at least 164 dead and over 970 hurt, noting that the state of La Guaira north of Caracas was hit hard.
The 7.5-magnitude earthquake was Venezuela’s most powerful since October 29, 1900, when a 7.7-magnitude tremor struck offshore.
Threatening to complicate the relief effort, the international airport near Caracas was closed due to “serious damage,” Rodriguez said, with social media video showing the terminal’s ceiling collapsing over panicked travelers.
The United Nations is “fully mobilized” to provide assistance, the UN’s aid chief said Thursday, stressing the response would require “massive collective efforts.”
UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said he had spoken Thursday morning with Rodriguez, and “we are assessing urgently what is needed.”
The UN humanitarian agency OCHA was meanwhile “coordinating the rapid deployment of urban search and rescue teams from across the international community,” Fletcher said.
“I am surging a rapid response team to reinforce the OCHA team in country,” he added.
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