WILLEMSTAD - The large-scale American relief operation for Venezuela would have been impossible before the political changes of January. That is what the U.S. Consul General in Curacao, Ramon ‘Chico’ Negron, told Curacao.nu during a visit to the American Forward Operating Location at Hato - now known as the Cooperative Security Location.
According to Negron, Washington can now send aid quickly and with few restrictions, due to the cooperation now in place with Venezuela.
"Previous to what happened in January, it would have been impossible for the U.S. to provide this level of assistance."
The consul is referring to the changed relations following the arrest of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. He says that development paved the way for direct American involvement in the relief efforts after the earthquake.
"We are in a situation now where before, for political reasons, it would have been very hard for us to help. Now, because of the current cooperation between the U.S. and Venezuela, we can do this. And with very little restrictions."
The American base in Curacao serves as a logistical hub for relief supplies, rescue teams, and personnel. From Hato, aircraft depart carrying water, humanitarian aid, and urban search-and-rescue teams to Venezuela. Teams from other countries also use Curacao as a stopover.
300 million dollars
The United States has now pledged more than 300 million dollars in aid following the earthquake in Venezuela. That amount is earmarked for food, medical care, shelter, clean water, and UN assistance, among other things. The actual American costs are likely higher, as Washington is also deploying hundreds of military personnel, transport aircraft, helicopters, naval vessels, rescue teams, and medical units. No separate cost overview for that military operation has yet been made public.
Negron calls the operation the largest deployment from the location since the United States established its presence there. According to him, more than a thousand people are involved in the operation - possibly closer to fifteen hundred. These are not only military personnel, but also staff from the State Department, other American agencies, aid organizations, and rescue teams.
According to Negron, the earthquake carries not only humanitarian but also geopolitical significance. "We now have a very strategic and important relationship with Venezuela."
Meanwhile, the relief operation is shifting in nature. In the first days, the focus was on deploying search-and-rescue teams as quickly as possible. Now, attention is moving toward further support and, eventually, reconstruction.
Part of the aid can now be flown directly to Caracas, as damaged aviation infrastructure there is being repaired. According to Negron, Curacao will nonetheless remain an important base of operations for missions requiring smaller aircraft, personnel, or specific supplies.
