US SOUTHCOM Deploys Nearly 2000 Troops for Venezuela Earthquake Relief as UN Reports Needs Skyrocketing

Roughly 2,000 U.S. troops continue supporting Venezuela earthquake relief under SOUTHCOM direction, with more than 900 personnel inside Venezuela and roughly 800 at logistics hubs in Puerto Rico and Curaçao 123. SOUTHCOM chief Gen. Francis Donovan told reporters Wednesday the force is working search-and-rescue and recovery efforts on land, air and sea, with the U.S. military having flown in roughly 310 search-and-rescue specialists shortly after the quakes 3. Venezuela's government reported more than 2,000 dead and over 10,000 injured as of Wednesday, the seventh day since the two earthquakes, which narrows the survivor-recovery window 3. U.S. Embassy chargé d'affaires John Barrett said Washington has provided more than $300 million in humanitarian assistance, and SOUTHCOM assets on the ground include Air Force C-17 and C-130 cargo aircraft, the USS Fort Lauderdale berthed at La Guaira Port as a communications hub, the USS Billings providing helicopter lift, and an Army medical unit and Marine logistics company supplying surgical support and water purification 13.