Care for disaster victims... Real solutions or welfare?

Published at: 17/07/2026 05:00 PM

Faced with the disproportionate attack, through national and international media, on the management of the natural seismic event experienced last June 24 in Venezuela , we bring this time an example of how the United States (USA) manages this type of collective crisis and its actions with regard to the care of victims.

It is known that the United States , being a developed country and without economic sanctions of any kind , uses the latest technologies available to deal with emergencies associated with different natural disasters, such as fires, earthquakes, floods, among others. However, although support for victims is effective, for the first three weeks after the tragedy, after the danger, they are left to their fate, looking for a way to survive without any support from the Government in office to continue a decent life.

During the first half of 2026, the United States has been marked by severe storms, floods and forest fires, making it clear that the Government assumes a role in primary care and combines direct financial assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the deployment of organizations such as the American Red Cross. After the emergency passes, the capacity for effective response and care for those affected slows down, which is why the federal response system is currently facing intense debates in Congress about the need for restructuring and simplification of procedures for victims.

According to information from the FEMA Community Preparedness Manual and the FEMA Digital Manual of Practical Knowledge to Save Lives , which contain step-by-step guidelines for preparing for and responding to different disasters, the care of victims in an emergency is as follows:

Housing and Shelters: Days to Months

The support is established in stages and its deadlines are rigorous:

Initial community shelters: They operate immediately and usually close within 2 to 4 weeks as schools or stadiums resume normal activities.

Transitional Hotel Accommodation (TSA): FEMA covers costs initially for periods of 14 to 30 days. A month-to-month extension may be authorized if the local housing market is completely saturated and the victim is still unable to purchase a new home.

FEMA mobile homes and trailers: The standard legal limit for the Individuals and Homes Program is 18 months. However, in the face of massive catastrophes of great impact, FEMA usually approves additional 6-month extensions (as happened with affected families that live in state trailers). During extensions, occupants are required to demonstrate progress in their permanent housing plan.

Work and Work Support: Semiannual Limit

The economic subsidy for those who lost their jobs or independent businesses is designed as a short bridge:

Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) has a maximum, non-extendable limit of 6 months from the date the presidential disaster declaration is issued. Grants for temporary community cleaning jobs usually last between 6 months and a year, ceasing as soon as the city's essential debris removal tasks are completed.

Psychological Care and Children: Medium-term extension

Social care and community mental health services accompany the physical reconstruction process :

The Crisis Counseling Program (CCP) funds the deployment of psychologists to affected areas usually for 9 to 12 months. In cases of large scale deep community trauma, federal funding is extended to a ceiling of 18 months.

Financial assistance benefits for child care and emergency school grants are governed under the same eligibility window as individual assistance funds, fully expire 18 months after the disaster.

How is it done in Venezuela?

The Bolivarian Government of Venezuela activated a contingency plan focused on direct socio-economic assistance, temporary shelter, psychological support and a housing reconstruction plan after the devastating double earthquake. A country with more than 900 economic sanctions, implemented the following policies and actions in the face of the emergency:

Transitional camps: These are spaces of refuge for families who lost their homes, moving them away from the traditional overcrowding scheme, in which they guarantee their food, hygiene, rest and physical health; accompanied by the Route of Hope, a program focused on providing emotional support, recreation and containment to those affected, prioritizing care for groups vulnerable and children. There are currently 107 active temporary camps that provide dignified shelter for nearly 17,000 people who lost all their homes.

These spaces go hand in hand with the definitive Housing Plan, which is a national housing relocation schedule with the projection of new buildings to replace collapsed homes.

Economic and Social Measures

Direct monthly allowance: A monthly economic payment for the next six months was approved exclusively for families that suffered the greatest impact from the catastrophe.

Mortgage subsidies : Direct coordination with Venezuelan banks to enable the mortgage loan portfolio, providing government subsidies of up to 80% for the repair or purchase of housing.

Credits for entrepreneurs : The Workers' Digital Bank carries out censuses in affected communities to grant temporary special financing to reactivate neighborhood commerce.

Creation of a special financial fund for reconstruction that aspires to be nourished by resources blocked abroad, including the request for the release of the 30 tons of gold held in the Bank of England.

Comprehensive Care and Mental Health

Through the Route of Hope, those affected participate in a mental health and emotional support program that initially serves more than 1,500 people in shelters, focused on treating post-traumatic trauma in children and older adults.

International Cooperation

The Bolivarian Government reaffirmed that reconstruction planning is an exclusive national competence, and it holds strategic meetings with agencies of the United Nations (UN), experts in anti-seismic constructions and delegations from several countries for technical rubble management, consultancy and housing programs.

To deal with these investments, the Government, once again, has requested the lifting of economic sanctions, the release of funds held abroad and has urged investment from domestic and foreign companies, as well as a formal request to the Bank of England for the release of 31 tons of gold held, in order to allocate these resources to the crisis.

Infrastructure, Cleaning and Logistics

Technical alliances and strategic working groups were established with UN delegations such as the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and with the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination Team (UNDAC) and international engineers for the collection and safe disposal of debris and waste in Caracas and La Guaira; in addition to coordination with other United Nations agencies for the import and installation of prefabricated structures and the design of anti-seismic cities.

Given the facts, when it comes to life and ensuring the basic minimum for a people, even if sanctioned, are not only subject to available resources and it is evident that, although with little income, the Bolivarian Government is the only one that can offer the peace of mind that its citizens need to face the tragedy

AMELYREN BASABE/Mazo News Team