Earthquakes leave Venezuela’s disabled residents without care

earthquakes leave – As two massive earthquakes hit Venezuela last week, humanitarian workers say the damage is pushing the already strained health system into crisis—especially for disabled survivors facing amputations, rehabilitation needs, and the loss of hard-to-replace assist

For Beatriz Armada, the hardest part of the last week hasn’t just been the scale of the disaster. It’s been the way the earthquakes have collided with Venezuela’s ability to treat the people most likely to need specialized care.

Armada. the Venezuela operations manager for the humanitarian nonprofit Humanity and Inclusion. has been working alongside other non-governmental organizations since two massive earthquakes struck the country last week. By a conservative estimate, the quakes have left about 1,700 people dead and thousands injured. More than 15,000 people have been displaced from their homes.

In the days after survivors were pulled from rubble, many required amputations. “Many survivors who were pulled from the rubble needed amputations,” Armada said. She also described a grim ripple effect inside the health system itself—health care workers in Caracas were affected. making it “very complicated to be able to give medical attention.”.

That strain is hitting disabled people with a sharper force than the disaster already does. Armada said around 38 structures tied to health care infrastructure were decimated by the earthquakes. One of them had been providing help for disabled people, who she said are disproportionately impacted by earthquakes.

“There was nothing left of the entire building, and so many people with disabilities who lost their lives in this, in this particular space,” Armada said.

Even when disabled survivors are alive, the loss can be total. Armada spoke about one disabled man and his family who lost everything in their home—along with hard-to-replace equipment “that he would normally need to be able to have dignity.”

Now, her team is trying to shift relief toward what comes next, not just what comes immediately after rescue. “We’re mobilizing resources to be able to more directly support people with disabilities,” Armada said. That support includes mobility devices and rehabilitation, which she described as “also quite a main need at the moment.”.

Armada said she’s heartened by responses from other parts of Venezuela, where people are being transferred for medical care, and by international support. But her concern is timing—relief that arrives quickly can still miss the longer emergency.

“We need this [support] to continue in the upcoming months, because I think it’s going to take months, or even years, to be able to fully recuperate from,” Armada told her.

The message from Armada is blunt: the earthquakes may have happened “last week,” but the damage to lives, bodies, and care networks is built to last.

Venezuela earthquake Humanity and Inclusion Beatriz Armada health care infrastructure disabled survivors amputations rehabilitation displacement