Recovering from the earthquakes in Venezuela will take years, the Red Cross said Friday, one month on from the June 24 disaster that killed more than 5,000 people. "This disaster is far from over," said Scott Craig, spokesman for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). Health care, mental health support and access to safe drinking water were the immediate priorities, he added, as many families were still relying on bottled water for drinking, cooking and washing. "Survivors are living with anxiety, fear, sadness and sleeplessness as they grieve relatives, homes, jobs and livelihoods lost," he told reporters in Geneva. "More than 5,000 people are dead, close to 17,000 injured, and some 23,000 are still living in temporary shelters," he added. "Health centers, schools, water systems, power and sewerage were destroyed or badly damaged." Thousands of people with chronic health conditions were still not getting regular treatment, threatening their health, he added. The 7.5- and 7.2-magnitude earthquakes struck north of the capital Caracas, destroying hundreds of buildings, particularly in the hardest-hit state of La Guaira. A month on, search efforts continue for bodies buried underneath rubble, but operations have evolved to focus on post-earthquake humanitarian aid and rebuilding. Craig said that while in the immediate aftermath the focus had been on saving lives, now it was on caring for survivors. The IFRC, the world's largest humanitarian network, is seeking 50 million Swiss francs ($60 million) to help 300,000 people over two years. It is currently 25 percent funded. "Recovery here will be measured in years, not weeks," said Craig. Oil-rich Venezuela has struggled for years with widespread poverty due to economic mismanagement and intense pressure from the United States and its allies. That pressure has eased since Washington deposed then-president Nicolas Maduro in a military operation in January, but the government's economic needs to address the crisis remain significant.
