Latest / DEEP INSIGHT / Man rescued alive from the rubble eight days after the twin earthquakes in Venezuela

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Man rescued alive from the rubble eight days after the twin earthquakes in Venezuela · DEEP INSIGHT

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  Speaker 1: Now to Venezuela, where rescuers have pulled a survivor from
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  Speaker 1: a collapsed building, eight days after twin earthquakes struck the
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  Speaker 1: north of the country. A forty three year old security
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  Speaker 1: guard had been trapped under rubble in the basement of
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  Speaker 1: a shopping center since the twenty fourth of June. Rescuers
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  Speaker 1: worked for over one hundred hours to free him. Braving
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  Speaker 1: torrential rain and aftershocks. They kept him alive with food
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  Speaker 1: and water while excavating the concrete structure that collapsed around him.
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  Speaker 1: He was saved because his cabin held ground and created
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  Speaker 1: an air pocket. The back to back earthquakes destroyed tens
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  Speaker 1: of thousands of buildings and killed more than twenty two
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  Speaker 1: hundred people. Joining us now from the Venezuelan capital, Caracas
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  Speaker 1: is loys Pace, the regional director for the Americas at
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  Speaker 1: the International Federation of the Red Cross and the Red
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  Speaker 1: Cress In Societies. Thank you so much for your time.
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  Speaker 1: The rescue of this man after eight days has captured
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  Speaker 1: the world's attention. But from a humanitarian perspective, are we
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  Speaker 1: now reaching the point where the focus is shifting from
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  Speaker 1: finding survivors to helping survivors?
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  Speaker 2: Yes, I think that's a really excellent way to frame it.
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  Speaker 3: Of course, we are thrilled with the miracle of this
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  Speaker 3: individual having been saved after a week, and it points
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  Speaker 3: to the power of cooperation across our network and our
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  Speaker 3: broader humanitarian community. And yet, to your question, and to
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  Speaker 3: your point, we absolutely need to be focused on those
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  Speaker 3: that have survived even before this individual was extracted. And
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  Speaker 3: that's what we've been doing as a Red Cross movement
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  Speaker 3: alongside the Red Cross of Venezuela, but with many of
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  Speaker 3: our other partners here in Karrakas to ensure that people
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  Speaker 3: have the health services, the psychosocial support, and other really
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  Speaker 3: immediate needs like shelter and food and water.
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  Speaker 1: And among those, you know, those essentials that you've just alighted,
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  Speaker 1: their helter, clean water, food, healthcare. What are the biggest
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  Speaker 1: needs right now?
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  Speaker 2: You know, it's so hard to pick one, right, I mean,
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  Speaker 2: ask an.
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  Speaker 3: Individual on the street here in Katakas where I am
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  Speaker 3: what they need, and they'll say all of the above
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  Speaker 3: and probably things that we haven't even listed. It's important
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  Speaker 3: that we as the Red Cross community, work through our
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  Speaker 3: volunteers who are members.
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  Speaker 2: Of these communities, listen to two people and what they.
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  Speaker 3: Need, ask them what they need, and this is why
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  Speaker 3: we have these community based assessments from day one, really
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  Speaker 3: understanding what the challenges are. But it's on us to
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  Speaker 3: actually provide the spectrum of needs for people because people
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  Speaker 3: are whole people, right, They don't just need one of.
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  Speaker 2: Those, they need all of those to.
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  Speaker 3: Survive at a basic level, let alone the question of
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  Speaker 3: how they even build from now.
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  Speaker 1: Venezuela was already struggling with years of economic and infrastructure
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  Speaker 1: problems before these earthquakes. You know, we've heard about how
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  Speaker 1: that has made things so much more difficult when it
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  Speaker 1: comes to having an effective humanitarian response. What have you
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  Speaker 1: been experiencing personally?
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  Speaker 2: Personally?
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  Speaker 3: Honestly, it's been helpful for us to have had such
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  Speaker 3: a long tenure here in the country.
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  Speaker 2: The right across of.
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  Speaker 3: Venezuela is one hundred and thirty one years old actually,
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  Speaker 3: and it has lived through generations of leadership here and
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  Speaker 3: has successfully worked with just about every government here in Venezuela.
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  Speaker 2: So that's been quite helpful.
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  Speaker 3: Again, as I mentioned, there are thousands of volunteers across
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  Speaker 3: the country who are embedded in these communities, and that
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  Speaker 3: helps us understand the complexities and it's given us, I suppose,
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  Speaker 3: some leverage in overcoming some of those challenges. They still
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  Speaker 3: very much exist, and yet we are finding ways to
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  Speaker 3: ensure that we're able to, for example, bring goods into
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  Speaker 3: the country. We just had our second flight come in
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  Speaker 3: with a number of supplies that address the range of
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  Speaker 3: these needs that I mentioned. Will continue to do that work,
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  Speaker 3: to work with authorities in our role as Red Cross
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  Speaker 3: leaders to ensure we can break through any barriers that exists.
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  Speaker 1: And looking at the future, how are you preparing for
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  Speaker 1: future risks because there's growing concern about disease outbreaks and
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  Speaker 1: deteriorating living conditions. You know, how quickly can this natural
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  Speaker 1: disaster turn into a public health emergency?
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  Speaker 2: This is another great question.
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  Speaker 3: As a public health expert myself, I think about this often.
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  Speaker 3: It's one of the reasons why health has been at
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  Speaker 3: the forefront of this response because again the Venezuelans have
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  Speaker 3: demanded that and requested that. But that includes water, sanitation, hygiene,
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  Speaker 3: and the like. We also want to ensure children are
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  Speaker 3: still receiving their vaccinations, adults are still on their meds,
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  Speaker 3: and so that's all part of our broader assessment.
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  Speaker 2: But we're also worried.
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  Speaker 3: About things like El Nino season, and I'm not sure
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  Speaker 3: to what degree you all have reported on that, but
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  Speaker 3: I think the headlines have alerted people that we are
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  Speaker 3: in the season at l Nino which is set to
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  Speaker 3: intensify this year, and Venezuela is facing the effect of that,
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  Speaker 3: And so you're right, it's absolutely compounded in terms of
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  Speaker 3: the risks and the potential crisis. This is why we
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  Speaker 3: as a Red Cross movement and community really try to
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  Speaker 3: anticipate those risks and needs and get ahead of them
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  Speaker 3: as much as possible so that we can mitigate the impact.
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  Speaker 1: What is your message to the international community given what
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  Speaker 1: you've highlighted here, because I mean, once the cameras move on,
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  Speaker 1: there will be very big challenges for Venezuela over the
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  Speaker 1: next weeks and months.
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  Speaker 3: Absolutely, I think my main message is that we can
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  Speaker 3: do this, and we can do this together. And whether
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  Speaker 3: it's something like the miraculous sextivation of an individual that
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  Speaker 3: you all reported on and saw this morning here, or
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  Speaker 3: quietly what we're doing and provide that mental health support
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  Speaker 3: to ensure people can bathe and cook and live again.
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  Speaker 2: Those are the stories.
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  Speaker 3: That come out of our shared mission and cooperation in
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  Speaker 3: this moment, and I think that is what sustains us,
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  Speaker 3: It sustains all of my staff here in Venezuela, but
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  Speaker 3: it helps the humanitarian community really show up for Venezuelans
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  Speaker 3: at this time, and so we really appreciate the global support.
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  Speaker 3: We think that once the cameras move on, people should
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  Speaker 3: know that we will still be here and we still
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  Speaker 3: need them.
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  Speaker 2: And so thank you, thank you, thank you.
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  Speaker 3: From Venezuela to the world for everything that you all
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  Speaker 3: are doing to support.
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  Speaker 1: Us here lois Pace, from the International Federation of the
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  Speaker 1: Red Cross and the Red Cross in Societies, thank you
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  Speaker 1: so much for your time joining us.
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  Speaker 2: From Karrakas, thank you