ROME: About 500,000 people in Venezuela are in need of emergency food assistance following the recent powerful earthquake, the United Nation...
ROME: About 500,000 people in Venezuela are in need of emergency food assistance following the recent powerful earthquake, the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) said.
The organization is rapidly scaling up its operations in Venezuela and expanding food assistance to reach up to 500,000 people in the areas hardest hit by last week’s earthquakes. The response is being facilitated by well-established transport and logistics networks in Venezuela, where the WFP has operated for the past five years, as well as in Panama.
"Access to food was already of top concern for Venezuelans even before the earthquakes hit. Food prices remain far beyond the reach of many households, with the average monthly food basket costing families more than $600, several times higher than the average household income," the statement reads.
"The WFP is urgently appealing for an initial $50 million to provide emergency food assistance to up to 500,000 people over the next three months. The response will also support logistics and emergency communications. The WFP has the capacity to scale up to meet the food needs of one million people, if sufficient funding is secured," the organization pointed out.
The earthquake struck Venezuela on Wednesday night, with two tremors measuring magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 recorded within 40 seconds of each other. The epicenters were located ten kilometers apart in the state of Yaracuy. The death toll has exceeded 1,700.
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