Staff Writer Bella Steiner examines the effects of the recent earthquakes in Venezuela, spotlighting the government’s inability and hesitation to respond promptly, resulting in loss of life that could have been avoided and forcing citizens to take safety measures into their own hands.
When you think of earthquakes and their effects, the last thing that comes to mind is politics. The movement of tectonic plates is typically nothing more than a release of built-up energy over time, and this is impossible to stop. Yet, when the critical effects of natural disasters hit, it is the government’s proactivity and statecraft that are tested: whether they are equipped to respond to such a tragedy, and whether they have built the proper infrastructure before it even struck.
Venezuela’s government recently faced this exact dilemma with little success. After being hit with a 7.2 and a 7.5 “twin earthquake” on 24th of June, the aftermath has only amplified and exacerbated the cracks generated by the country’s socialist regime.
The extent of devastation, and making rescuers of the victims
The devastation, which destroyed 58,000 buildings, could have been mitigated had it not been for the severe lack of investment in the healthcare system. Despite the Venezuelan government having the opportunity to act efficiently and potentially redeem itself after years of political recklessness, individuals are reporting that the government has failed to help victims of the tragedy.
It was not the government helping the people—rather, regular citizens of society had stepped up to rescue others trapped under the rubble. The majority seemed to gather equipment via their own means or used equipment donated by others. But these heroic efforts are more so a result of feeling abandoned over anything else. It was reported that most citizens’ desire to get involved stems from a deep distrust of government authorities to act fast enough.
Perhaps this is rightfully so. From the government’s inadequate response to the earthquake, to the mismanagement of the energy sector, it is no surprise that public trust has eroded over time. Alongside the Venezuelan cadets, military, firefighters as well as soldiers being massively underfunded and unprepared, any kind of response to the tragedy was doomed from the start.
The government is impeding international aid and rescue teams
Not only are government officials such as Interim President Delcy Rodriguez and Diosdado Cabello not lifting a finger to facilitate the rescue of people trapped under rubble, but they are also blocking foreign rescue teams from entering affected zones.
Colombian officials and activists publicly accused Venezuelan authorities of delaying and obstructing the rescue teams. “What we are seeing is systematic negligence by the Venezuelan government to restrict access to the most affected zones,” stated Juan Carlos Viloria Doria, vice president of Venezolanos en Barranquilla. However, Colombia is not the only one experiencing delays in their donations. International rescue teams and emergency personnel sent from Chile, the U.S, Germany and Spain have also experienced delays and bureaucratic obstacles.
A Spanish rescue team, USAR13 was impeded from travelling to Caracas, allegedly because of bureaucratic obstacles imposed by the Spanish embassy and the Venezuelan government. Some news organisations allege that this blockage echoes the pattern of the Maduro government’s obstruction of nongovernmental and foreign groups from entering the country. Whilst rescue groups from El Salvador and the U.S have been ultimately successful in some of their rescue efforts, looting and theft being carried out by police and military personnel in earthquake-affected zones have been reported by citizens.
As a Venezuelan, this comes as no surprise. When those who are supposed to protect are the ones exacerbating a tragedy, it becomes impossible to argue that this disaster has nothing to do with political inadequacy.
Political control over safety?
In times like these, where at least 1,789 people have died and around 58,000 buildings are destroyed, you would think that the politicking of those in power would be put aside for more humanitarian causes; that despite the differing political ideologies and bureaucracy, a tragedy would unite the government to help its people.
But that does not seem to be the case here. While the party of Maria Corina Machado, the opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner, has opened multiple aid centres, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela is shutting them down on the basis that they need authorisation from the socialist party and the city hall.
Sanctions or domestic mismanagement?
For a moment, the United States’ commitment of $300 million and 300 rescue personnel as part of an aid response to the Venezuelan earthquakes seemed to be a beacon of hope for those awaiting help. However, some argue that pre-existing sanctions imposed by the United States and the EU on Venezuela due to an “absence of cooperation with US anti-drug and counter-terrorism efforts,” as well as the “deterioration of democracy, the rule of law and human rights” have led to the promise of aid being ineffective.
For instance, The Centre for Economic Policy Research has argued that sanctions from the United States are the major cause for the lack of aid arriving for victims in the capital. This opens up a new avenue of discussion pertaining to the potential impact of US imperialism on the lives of those beyond its borders: whilst there are many shortcomings from the side of its national government, Venezuela merely joins a long list of other countries who were promised assistance in dire straits, only to realise the cost of US interference in domestic affairs much later on.
Nevertheless, it remains deeply problematic to blame the ineffective rescues on any party but the Venezuelan government and its corrupt leadership. Since, evidently, it is only administrative irresponsibility and power hungriness in domestic politics that would have the capacity to shut down aid centres opened by well-meaning members of a political opposition, and present it as a reasonable option amidst a national crisis. Whether we like it or not, natural disasters tend to reveal a country’s weak links that already exist: clearly, the current Venezuelan government’s weakest one is their inability to appreciate the necessity of an opposition at all.
A government that cannot be trusted
This earthquake has become politicised in many clear ways: Venezuela’s chavista (left-wing populist) government were the one to plan out and invest in the construction of buildings. They were the ones to make the choice to obstruct or welcome international aid and the ones to fund emergency aid services. Whilst earthquakes are natural, responses clearly reflect whether control or lives are put first.
In a broadcast video on a state-run television channel, Minister of the Interior Diosdado Cabello stated that the citizens “need to trust their government” when it comes to rescuing lives and ensuring that help will be on the way. However, with only power-infused rhetoric to offer, it is not the socialist government that is helping save lives, and it is naive to believe that a regime responsible for embezzling nearly $4 billion dollars that could have built hospitals, supermarkets and seismic-resistant infrastructure is going to help its people.
It is frustrated citizens who are trying to rescue victims
A video posted by @valvulapolitica on instagram on the 26th of June captured a citizen standing by the rubble in the Playa Grande neighbourhood who stated their concerns. “The government is not even here, there are some guards up there but how can we alone deal with all the structure? There are lots of deceased people […] you can hear the voices of the people [under the rubble] […] There has not been any type of help or help from the government.”
Having hit the northern part of the country on 24th June at 6:04pm, the Venezuelan government’s 3-day delay in rescue efforts meant that they missed the crucial window where more victims could have still been found alive. And still, when Delcy Rodriguez and Diosdado Cabello finally managed to act, their actions were motivated by political control and bureaucracy rather than the goodwill any government should have for its people.
They chose to monopolise who was allowed to save lives and who was not. A video broadcast published by @fuentelatina on Instagram reports that government officials are asking for $50 so individuals can receive a permit to rescue citizens under rubble.
Interim president and Maduro loyalist Delcy Rodríguez stated on the 27th June 2026, that the Guaira region, one of the most affected, was “militarised to guarantee security.”
An earthquake whose effects could have been prevented
Buildings have collapsed due to year-long negligence and poorly built social housing. Meanwhile, people have died because hospitals lacked adequate supplies, and international help arrived later than intended. During Chavez’s ruling, experts long warned of constructing social housing along La Guaira after the 1999 Vargas floodings, however construction still continued. Hence, the earthquake did not create any new structural issues; rather, it exposed pre-existing weaknesses, which ultimately led to a catastrophe that should have been avoided in the first place.
So, again, when you think that Venezuela’s earthquake is not political, think of the thousands of hospitals that could have been built with over $1 billion of embezzled money over 27 years of the socialist regime. Think of the interim president Delcy Rodriguez appearing publicly with a $1525 jacket while thousands were left homeless and aid centres were built by the citizens instead of the government.
An earthquake will never be inherently political, but a government’s capacity to respond quickly and fairly to all victims of natural disasters shows us that guaranteeing safety in light of one absolutely is.
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