Two U.S. warships, the USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28) and the littoral combat ship USS Billings (LCS-15), have been dispatched to Venezuela following the nation’s devastating earthquakes on Wednesday.
According to U.S. Southern Command, the interim government of Venezuela formally requested U.S. support following the twin 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes. American forces are providing “specialized mobility services and support to U.S. government personnel, search and rescue teams, and U.S. interagency partners as they assess damage, locate the injured, and deliver critical, life-saving assistance.”
On Wednesday, a 7.2 magnitude quake hit north-central Venezuela near Yumare. Just 39 seconds later, a larger 7.5 magnitude quake struck in nearly the same location, along the fault that marks the boundary between the Caribbean and South American plates. The earthquakes have left entire neighborhoods in ruins.
As of Friday morning, the death toll has risen to 589 and thousands more are injured, according to Acting President Delcy Rodríguez.
Rodríguez noted that she welcomed the arrival of rescue crews from all over the world, as the death toll is expected to continue to rise.
“We are going to rescue the people who are trapped,” she said during a state televised update. “We are working tirelessly on this task.”
In addition to the warships heading to the South American nation, C-17 Globemaster and C-130 Hercules transport aircraft as well as fixed and rotary wing aircraft are en route to assist search and rescue teams, according to U.S. SOUTHCOM.
Fort Lauderdale and Billings have been assigned to Operation Southern Spear as part of the Pentagon’s campaign to combat what it has labeled as narcoterrorist operations to push illicit drugs into the United States.
Late Thursday evening, Maj. Gen. Kevin J. Jarrard arrived on the ground in Caracas to coordinate SOUTHCOM’s response and direct humanitarian assistance to the affected areas.
Jarrard will serve as the senior U.S. Southern Command official in Venezuela, overseeing the aid and rescue efforts that have at times been reduced to shovels, hammers and basic tools to assist rescue efforts as the nation’s emergency resources became stretched thin.
In a press conference on Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed the importance of the next 48 hours and the critical aid the U.S. military can provide following the destabilizing earthquakes.
“The most immediate need, the one they need right now, is search and rescue,” said Rubio. “That’s the one they need immediately, because you’ve got to get people out of that rubble within 48 hours or they won’t survive. And so that’s the first thing we’re going to respond to.”
Claire Barrett is an editor and military history correspondent for Military Times. She is also a World War II researcher with an unparalleled affinity for Sir Winston Churchill and Michigan football.