Venezuela hands out homes after quakes damaged 41,000 households

Six weeks after the quakes that shook Venezuela, the government of Delcy Rodríguez — acting president — says the emergency housing plan is already delivering results. This week, she said, more than 2,000 people benefited from new homes or repairs to their structures.

The figure, however, is measured against a mountain: the official tally counts 41,624 households affected by the June 24 earthquakes.

The dimensions of the tragedy

The 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude quakes shook the country on June 24 and left a toll still being processed:

• More than 6,000 dead
• More than 16,000 injured
• 41,624 households affected

“This week we have already benefited practically more than two thousand people, some who were given homes, others who were able to return to their homes,” Rodríguez said at a meeting with condominium boards of buildings in the Sucre municipality of Caracas, affected by the double earthquake.

The underlying challenge

The emergency plan coexists with structural challenges: rebuilding tens of thousands of homes, caring for the displaced and sustaining an economy already battered. Meanwhile, Parliament approved a law to promote rentals after the quakes, seeking short-term solutions for those who lost their homes.

The key figure

2,000 people benefited this week, against 41,624 households affected. The plan advances — the question is at what speed relative to the magnitude of the damage.