00:00Tommaso della Longa is from the International Federation of the Red Cross.
00:05I think that every country in the world would have big problems to deal with such a large-scale devastation.
00:13We're talking about two powerful earthquakes that have hit a country that, of course, has already challenges in the past.
00:20But the reality here is that no one can really deal with such a massive, large-scale of destruction.
00:27We're talking about destruction in infrastructure, debris in the roads, airports in Caracas closed.
00:34So the situation is very complicated, and I think that we will have a clearer picture in the next hours,
00:41where with daylight we will see how people are dealing with the situation in Caracas,
00:47but also in neighboring regions affected by the earthquake.
00:51I accept this is also a rather difficult question to answer, given this is a breaking news story.
00:56But, I mean, do you get any idea of the latest assessments of the damage and the loss of life?
01:03What are you hearing?
01:05Well, what we are hearing is that even the Red Cross headquarters has been affected, the health system has been
01:11affected.
01:11I was talking with colleagues in Caracas who don't have anyone at home.
01:15So, again, the level of devastation is immense, and the situation is fastly evolving.
01:21So I think that now there are three parallel streams in terms of humanitarian work.
01:26The first one, of course, is the search and rescue operation, so saving lives of people under the rubble.
01:32The second is to put the people who are alive in safety.
01:36So we're looking at shelter and basic needs like food and water, but also looking at the next step.
01:42And most importantly, having a proper assessment to avoid overwhelming a system in a situation that is already overwhelmed.
01:48So what we are going to do through the Venezuelan Red Cross and our IFRC colleagues in Caracas is really
01:55to have a clear idea of the needs and then, of course, follow up with emergency response.
02:00And I'm guessing these first hours and first day after a disaster like this are critical, aren't they, in terms
02:06of your response?
02:08Absolutely. I mean, we know sadly by experiencing many other earthquakes that the window to save lives is very short.
02:16We're talking about hours and the first days, and is why all the priority in the country and also for
02:22our organization, it's really to support the life-saving efforts.
02:26And then we don't have to forget the mental health support, because people are, of course, who are in panic,
02:33they don't want to go back home if they have one.
02:36And most of them, they lost their beloved in a couple of seconds.
02:41So working also on the mental health support, it's really critical.
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