UPDATED: U.S. Warships, Marines Arrive to Assist with Relief Efforts in Venezuela
Two U.S. warships, Air Force cargo aircraft and Marines aircraft are now in Venezuela to support a U.S. State Department relief mission following two earthquakes on Wednesday.
U.S. Southern Command dispatched USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28) and the Littoral Combat Ship USS Billings (LCS-15) in addition to Air Force C-17 Globemaster and C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft, the command said.
“These forces will provide 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,” reads the statement. “SOUTHCOM will continue to work closely with interim Venezuelan authorities to plan, coordinate, and direct the U.S. military’s unparalleled logistical and operational capabilities in support of rapid relief operations across the affected areas.”
Five of the C-17 are transporting a team “to assist Venezuelan government and aviation authorities with airport surveys, assessments, and airfield management to safely restore air traffic and aviation operations in affected areas,” reads a Sunday statement from SOUTHCOM.
That team will join existing units working to asses and repair airfields damaged by the dual earthquakes last week. Additional search and rescue teams from Florida will join a State Department led urban search and rescue team that flew into the country from Northern Virginia last week.
U.S. Marine MV-22B Ospreys are providing logistical support along with U.S. Army CH-47 Chinooks ad a UH-1Y Super Huey embarked aboard Fort Lauderdale. U.S. Space Force satellites are providing damage assessment of regions damaged by the quakes.
In a press conference on Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Pentagon would be key to providing logistical support following the twin 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes.
“The most immediate need, the one they need right now, is search and rescue, he told reporters. “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.”
Late Thursday, Marine Maj. Gen. Kevin Jarrard arrived in Caracas to coordinate SOUTHCOM’s response from the ground.
Fort Lauderdale and Billings have been assigned to Operation Southern Spear as part of the U.S. plus-up of forces in the Western Hemisphere that began last year. Fort Lauderdale initially deployed with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit and the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group. Last month, the 24th MEU replaced the 22nd in the region and will be based across the region, USNI News reported at the time.
As of Sunday morning, Venezuelan officials said the death toll has risen to 1,430 with conflicting numbers on the missing. The government puts the number in the hundreds, while other groups say the number is closer to 55,000.
