The State Department announced a $150M pledge and the deployment of more than 250 Disaster Assistance Response Team members with three Urban Search and Rescue teams after earthquakes in Venezuela that officials say killed at least 920 and possibly more than 1,430 people and damaged about 1,400 buildings, including hospitals.Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the surge is intended to provide fast search, medical and logistics capacity to bolster overwhelmed local and civilian-led rescue efforts while teams coordinate with acting President Delcy Rodríguez’s interim government.The push follows the capture of
Nicolás Maduro by United States forces earlier this year and reflects a tactical shift in the
Donald Trump administration after prior cuts to the US Agency for International Development, though analysts warn reconstruction costs could reach tens of billions or up to $100B and require sustained multilateral support.