World Bank Puts Venezuela Quake Damage at $19.6 Billion as 47% Hits Homes
Updated
Updated · Al Jazeera English · Jul 23
World Bank Puts Venezuela Quake Damage at $19.6 Billion as 47% Hits Homes
3 articles · Updated · Al Jazeera English · Jul 23
Summary
$19.6 billion in physical damage from Venezuela’s June 24 earthquakes will complicate recovery, the World Bank said, with La Guaira state and Distrito Capital the hardest-hit areas.
Forty-seven percent of losses were to residential buildings, 27% to infrastructure and 26% to non-residential structures, based on seismic data, satellite imagery and government and humanitarian damage reports.
The magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 quakes killed at least 5,000 people, injured nearly 17,000 and left 18,000 homeless, adding to strain in a country where the World Bank had already estimated 76% lived in poverty.
The bank said the estimate is meant to guide recovery planning and aid, but funding remains uncertain despite international pledges; a new U.S. contribution of more than $200 million to the Red Cross was not specifically earmarked for Venezuela.