What is the response to a disaster like and the obvious comparisons

Published at: 10/07/2026 05:25 PM

On June 24, the day of commemoration of the Battle of Carabobo, at approximately 6 in the afternoon, Venezuela suffered a double earthquake that shook the lives of Venezuelans, it is the strongest catastrophe we have had to experience and that has us immersed both in sadness and pain and in solidarity. However, among the criticisms that have come up for discussion, there is talk of a lethargic management with respect to the response time of national rescue bodies.

In countries with seismic culture such as Japan, Mexico, Chile and the United States, care time for those affected by an earthquake ranges from the first few hours after the impact to a maximum of 72 hours for the total consolidation of rescue services. High technological capacity, economic resources and adequate infrastructure allow these countries to drastically reduce response time compared to developing nations.

In 2023, after the 7.8 earthquake in Turkey, global protocols were updated regarding emergency response and recovery management, and this document details the lessons learned from the systematic approach of the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) and the international coordination of emergency medical teams.

an immediate deployment is carried out and the process of evaluating and rapidly classifying patients in emergency departments, at the same time, begins the mobilization of fire departments, civil defense and local ambulances to the affected area. Initial medical care in impact areas is firmly established during the first few hours through field hospitals and pre-planned logistics networks.”

The document adds that “the 72 hours following the seismic event are the most critical because the search and rescue of affected people begins, it is the established limit for rescuing people trapped under the rubble alive. In developed countries, the arrival of heavy machinery, K9 equipment (rescue dogs) and mass thermal mapping drones is fully consolidated in this period.”

The update then adds that “for the next 3 to 7 days, attention is focused on stabilizing victims: Opening of temporary camps with basic services (drinking water, backup electricity, sanitation and food)”.

Japanese driving

Japan, a power with experience in dealing with seismic tragedies, operates under a centralized, top-down response model, while the US uses a decentralized, bottom-up system. This structural difference defines who makes physical decisions and how quickly resources move after a critical earthquake.

The Japanese response is designed to be automatically activated from the core of the national government:

· Single Command: The Cabinet Office (led by the Prime Minister) assumes full control immediately.

· Vertical Activation: It does not require prefectures to request help; the national government deploys ex officio resources.

· Self-Defense Forces (SDF): The army is automatically mobilized in minutes to directly affected areas.

· Logistics Centralization: Priority supply distribution centers respond to a single state macro plan.

The US, on the other hand, the answer is based on the principle of local autonomy, scaling from the municipal to the federal according to gravity and under strict bureaucratic criteria:

· Staggered Command: Initial control is tight on the affected city or county (police and local firefighters).

· Formal Request: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) only intervenes if the state's Governor declares an emergency and requests formal assistance from the president.

· National Guard: Responsible to the Governor of each state; mobilization between states requires prior interstate agreements.

· Fragmented Sectors: The answer massively involves non-profit organizations, such as the Red Cross and private public service companies under local coordination.

The time of medical care and rescue in the face of an earthquake in a developed country without economic sanctions is a few minutes for local deployment and a maximum of 72 hours to assume total control. Conversely, in a country under a regime of severe economic sanctions, the time of immediate, large-scale care may be delayed by an additional 3 to 7 days, extending the critical rescue window and raising secondary mortality rates. Despite the fact that the Bolivarian Government has had significant restrictions on the management of its finances for more than a decade as a result of sanctions and unilateral blockade by the United States, it managed the protocol for the care of victims of the double earthquake at the times contemplated in an updated document from Turkey, under the structure that manages the Japanese model.

To be clear about the magnitude of the seismic event experienced in our country on June 24, it is important to know the document prepared by the Global Alliance for Awareness and Impact (GAIA) on Sanctions Policy in Response to Disasters, in May 2024, which explained the response time of countries such as Turkey and Syria:

“On February 6, 2023, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake shook southeastern Turkey. That same day, another 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck northern Syria. The death toll surpassed 50,000 almost overnight, and many children disappeared. Immediately after the disaster, after the first 72 hours, approximately 4500 search and rescue teams toured Turkey with heavy machinery capable of removing debris, food and medical supplies for the victims. However, the Syrians had to wait three days for special machinery and tools to arrive in the area devastated by the earthquake. This was because aid convoys could only pass through the Bab al-Hawa crossing, since it was the only land route approved by the United Nations (UN) to enter the country.”

Impact of sanctions on response time to a natural disaster: The case of Venezuela (2026)

The recent earthquakes of magnitude 7.5 and 7.2 recorded in the country highlight the impact of the damage caused by the sanctions and we can highlight the following:

· The previous impact on infrastructure: After years of restrictions in the oil and financial sectors, essential public services (water, electricity and health transport) were already operating weakened, reducing their capacity for immediate structural resilience in the face of the earthquake.

· The funding barrier: Civil organizations and research centers such as the American Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) point out that the freezing of state assets abroad prevents the country from mobilizing billions of its own dollars essential to finance reconstruction and massive medical assistance in the short term.

· Late easing: Although the U.S. Department of the Treasury issued temporary licenses for some economic sanctions until October 23, 2026 to allow relief transactions, international aid and medical Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), such as Doctors Without Borders, must work with a hospital system that has collapsed due to the lack of strong investment that is not allowed by sanctions.

“We have seen on previous occasions how U.S. sanctions have restricted and hampered relief efforts after the earthquake,” said Alex Main, director of International Policy at CEPR. “Immediately, the Trump administration can avoid the mistakes made by the previous administration in response to the earthquake in Syria in 2023, when lives were lost due to the late and limited exemptions from sanctions granted by the Biden administration. The Venezuelan government must be free to receive and distribute earthquake aid and to send humanitarian assistance to those who need it. Current sanctions from the United States and other countries threaten to paralyze the overall response to the earthquake.”

“We must remember that Venezuela suffered the worst depression in world history, without war, due to illegal economic sanctions from the United States,” said Mark Weisbrot, co-director of CEPR. “Data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) show a loss of 74% of GDP in eight years. This devastating fall was not a mistake, but rather a predictable result for any country isolated by the sanctions of the international financial system and, in addition, deprived of the vast majority of its foreign exchange earnings from oil exports. Tens of thousands, and probably hundreds of thousands, of Venezuelans died as a result of those sanctions. Therefore, the United States has an obligation to lift sanctions to prevent further loss of life in Venezuela.”

However, with everything and sanctions, we have seen a Government deployed in action to protect the Venezuelan people, and that today they have 2 struggles: one against the devastation left us by the earthquake and the other against false information that, far from contributing to the well-being of all, creates anxiety, anguish and more pain. It is then that we must objectively reflect on the fact that, despite the sanctions and not having an experience in earthquakes like other developed countries, it is the Bolivarian Government that saves, protects, helps and supports its people, because for now, the battle is for life.

AMELYREN BASABE/Mazo News Team