{"id":4829,"date":"2026-06-30T01:12:55","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T01:12:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/06\/30\/venezuelas-deadly-quakes-put-its-u-s-backed-government-to-the-test\/"},"modified":"2026-06-30T01:12:55","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T01:12:55","slug":"venezuelas-deadly-quakes-put-its-u-s-backed-government-to-the-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=4829","title":{"rendered":"Venezuela&#8217;s deadly quakes put its U.S.-backed government to the test"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"slug-wrap\">\n<h3 class=\"slug\">\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/latin-america\/\">The Americas<\/a><br \/>\n    <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"storytitle\">\n<h1>Venezuela&#8217;s deadly quakes put its U.S.-backed government to the test<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"STORYTITLE\" --><\/p>\n<div id=\"story-meta\" class=\"story-meta has-byline\">\n<div class=\"story-meta__one\">\n<div class=\"story-meta__one-inner\">\n<div class=\"dateblock dateblock-updated has-tooltip\">\n    <time datetime=\"2026-06-29T18:04:20-04:00\"><br \/>\n            <span class=\"date\" aria-describedby=\"tt-originally-published\">Updated June 29, 2026<\/span><span class=\"time\">6:04 PM ET<\/span><br \/>\n                <span id=\"tt-originally-published\" class=\"tooltip\" role=\"tooltip\"><br \/>\n                    Originally published <span class=\"tt-date\">June 29, 2026<\/span><span class=\"tt-time\">4:19 PM ET<\/span><br \/>\n                <\/span><br \/>\n    <\/time>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"program-block\">\n                        Heard on             <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/programs\/all-things-considered\/nx-s1-5837802\/all-things-considered-for-june-29-2026\">All Things Considered<\/a>\n         <\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"PROGRAM-BLOCK\" -->\n      <\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"STORY-META__ONE-INNER\" -->\n   <\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"STORY-META__ONE\" --><\/p>\n<div class=\"story-meta__two\">\n<div id=\"storybyline\" class=\"storybyline-wrap linkLocation\">\n<div class=\"bucketwrap byline\">\n<div class=\"byline-container--block\">\n<p class=\"byline__name--block\">By\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"byline byline--block byline--has-link\" aria-label=\"Byline\">\n<p class=\"byline__name byline__name--block\">\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/people\/703048123\/john-otis\" rel=\"author\"><br \/>\n      John Otis<br \/>\n    <\/a>\n  <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP BYLINE\" -->\n      <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"STORY-META__TWO\" -->\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"STORY-META\" CLASS=\"STORY-META HAS-BYLINE\" --><\/p>\n<div id=\"headlineaudio\" class=\"storylocation linkLocation\">\n<article id=\"resnx-s1-9829621\" class=\"bucketwrap resaudio\" aria-label=\"audio-module\">\n<div class=\"audio-module\">\n<h4 class=\"audio-module-title\">Venezuelan quakes test government<\/h4>\n<div class=\"audio-module-controls-wrap\" data-audio='{\"uid\":\"nx-s1-5873975:nx-s1-9829621\",\"available\":true,\"duration\":297,\"title\":\"Venezuelan quakes test government\",\"audioUrl\":\"https:\/\/ondemand.npr.org\/anon.npr-mp3\/npr\/atc\/2026\/06\/20260629_atc_venezuelan_quake_tests_government.mp3?t=progseg&amp;e=nx-s1-5837802&amp;p=2&amp;seg=1&amp;d=297&amp;size=4766033&amp;sc=siteplayer\",\"storyUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/06\/29\/nx-s1-5873975\/venezuelan-quake-tests-government\",\"slug\":\"The Americas\",\"program\":\"All Things Considered\",\"affiliation\":\"\",\"song\":\"\",\"artist\":\"\",\"album\":\"\",\"track\":0,\"type\":\"segment\",\"subtype\":\"other\",\"skipSponsorship\":false,\"hasAdsWizz\":false,\"isStreamAudioType\":false,\"podcastEpisodeRawType\":\"\",\"podcastEpisodeDerivedPlusType\":\"\"}' data-audio-metrics=\"[]\">\n<div class=\"audio-module-controls audio-module-controls--no-js\">\n            <a class=\"audio-module-listen\" href=\"https:\/\/ondemand.npr.org\/anon.npr-mp3\/npr\/atc\/2026\/06\/20260629_atc_venezuelan_quake_tests_government.mp3?t=progseg&amp;e=nx-s1-5837802&amp;p=2&amp;seg=1&amp;d=297&amp;size=4766033&amp;sc=siteplayer&amp;aw_0_1st.playerid=siteplayer\"><br \/>\n                <b class=\"audio-module-listen-inner\"><br \/>\n                    <b class=\"audio-module-listen-text\"><br \/>\n                        <b class=\"audio-module-cta\"><br \/>\n                            Listen<br \/>\n                        <\/b><br \/>\n                        <b class=\"audio-module-listen-duration\"><br \/>\n                            <span>\u00b7 <\/span><br \/>\n                            <span>4:57<\/span><br \/>\n                        <\/b><br \/>\n                    <\/b><br \/>\n                <\/b><br \/>\n            <\/a><br \/>\n                <time class=\"audio-module-duration\" datetime=\"P4M,57S\"><br \/>\n                  <span class=\"audio-module-duration__initial-value\">4:57<\/span><br \/>\n                <\/time>\n        <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"audio-module-tools\">\n            <a class=\"audio-tool audio-tool-transcript\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/transcripts\/nx-s1-5873975\" data-metrics-ga4='{\"category\":\"audio\",\"action\":\"audio_click_transcript\",\"storyId\":\"nx-s1-5873975\",\"mediaId\":\"nx-s1-9829621\",\"title\":\"Venezuela&amp;#39;s deadly quakes put its U.S.-backed government to the test\",\"type\":\"ondemand\"}'><br \/>\n                <b class=\"audio-tool-label\">Transcript<\/b><br \/>\n            <\/a><br \/>\n        <button class=\"audio-module-tools-toggle\" data-metrics-ga4='{\"category\":\"audio\",\"action\":\"audio_open_more_options\",\"storyId\":\"nx-s1-5873975\",\"mediaId\":\"nx-s1-9829621\",\"title\":\"Venezuela&amp;#39;s deadly quakes put its U.S.-backed government to the test\",\"type\":\"ondemand\"}'><br \/>\n            <b class=\"label\">Toggle more options<\/b><br \/>\n        <\/button><\/p>\n<ul class=\"audio-module-more-tools\">\n<li class=\"audio-tool audio-tool-download\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ondemand.npr.org\/anon.npr-mp3\/npr\/atc\/2026\/06\/20260629_atc_venezuelan_quake_tests_government.mp3?t=progseg&amp;e=nx-s1-5837802&amp;p=2&amp;seg=1&amp;d=297&amp;size=4766033&amp;sc=siteplayer&amp;aw_0_1st.playerid=siteplayer\" data-metrics-ga4='{\"category\":\"audio\",\"action\":\"audio_download\",\"storyId\":\"nx-s1-5873975\",\"mediaId\":\"nx-s1-9829621\",\"title\":\"Venezuela&amp;#39;s deadly quakes put its U.S.-backed government to the test\",\"type\":\"ondemand\"}'><b class=\"audio-tool-label\">Download<\/b><\/a>\n                <\/li>\n<li class=\"audio-tool audio-tool-embed\">\n                    <button data-embed-url=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/player\/embed\/nx-s1-5873975\/nx-s1-9829621\" data-metrics-ga4='{\"category\":\"audio\",\"action\":\"audio_embed\",\"storyId\":\"nx-s1-5873975\",\"mediaId\":\"nx-s1-9829621\",\"title\":\"Venezuela&amp;#39;s deadly quakes put its U.S.-backed government to the test\",\"type\":\"ondemand\"}'><b class=\"button-inner\"><b class=\"audio-tool-label\">Embed<\/b><\/b><\/button><\/p>\n<div class=\"audio-embed-overlay\">\n                        <label class=\"embed-label\"><br \/>\n                            <b class=\"label\">Embed<\/b><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/label><br \/>\n                        <b class=\"embed-url embed-url-touch\"><br \/>\n                            <code><b class=\"punctuation\">&lt;<\/b>iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/player\/embed\/nx-s1-5873975\/nx-s1-9829621\" width=\"100%\" height=\"290\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" title=\"NPR embedded audio player\"&gt;<\/code><br \/>\n                        <\/b>\n                    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"audio-tool audio-tool-transcript\">\n                  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/transcripts\/nx-s1-5873975\" data-metrics-ga4='{\"category\":\"audio\",\"action\":\"audio_click_transcript\",\"storyId\":\"nx-s1-5873975\",\"mediaId\":\"nx-s1-9829621\",\"title\":\"Venezuela&amp;#39;s deadly quakes put its U.S.-backed government to the test\",\"type\":\"ondemand\"}'><br \/>\n                    <b class=\"audio-tool-label\">Transcript<\/b><br \/>\n                  <\/a>\n                <\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"storytext\" class=\"storytext storylocation linkLocation\">\n<div id=\"resg-s1-130955\" class=\"bucketwrap image large\">\n<div class=\"imagewrap has-source-dimensions\" data-crop-type=\"\" style=\"--source-width: 6809;--source-height: 4539\">\n<p>            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/6809x4539+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/50\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F7c%2F84%2F2e92185c4de1bc969fd767a561ae%2Fgettyimages-2283127001.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/6809x4539+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F7c%2F84%2F2e92185c4de1bc969fd767a561ae%2Fgettyimages-2283127001.jpg\" class=\"img\" alt=\"A person searches for victims on June 27 amid debris of a collapsed building after powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela, in Los Corales, Venezuela.\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-wrap\">\n<div class=\"caption\" aria-label=\"Image caption\">\n<p>\n                A person searches for victims on June 27 amid debris of a collapsed building after powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela, in Los Corales, Venezuela.<br \/>\n                <b class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><br \/>\n                    Edilzon Gamez\/Getty Images<br \/>\n                <\/b><br \/>\n                <b class=\"hide-caption\"><b>hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <b class=\"toggle-caption\"><b>toggle caption<\/b><\/b>\n    <\/div>\n<p>    <span class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><br \/>\n        Edilzon Gamez\/Getty Images<br \/>\n    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>LOS CORALES, Venezuela \u2014 A backhoe is digging through the ruins of a 12-story building that collapsed in this town on Venezuela&#8217;s Caribbean coast during last week&#8217;s back-to-back earthquakes. But the government backhoe operator never showed up, so local residents passed the hat for donations to pay for one.<\/p>\n<p>Such delays are costing lives, says Rosalia Bustamante, who lost several friends who were inside the building.<\/p>\n<div id=\"resnx-s1-5873975-100\" class=\"bucketwrap internallink insettwocolumn inset2col \">\n<div class=\"bucket img\">\n                  <a class=\"imagewrap\" id=\"featuredStackSquareImagenx-s1-5875423\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/06\/29\/nx-s1-5875423\/as-venezuelans-struggle-to-find-earthquake-survivors-many-blame-the-government\" data-metrics-ga4='{\"category\":\"recirculation\",\"action\":\"story_recirculation_click\",\"clickType\":\"inset box\",\"clickUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/06\/29\/nx-s1-5875423\/as-venezuelans-struggle-to-find-earthquake-survivors-many-blame-the-government\"}'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x3000+0+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fca%2F0f%2F77f62736461aa4078c5fa3626f62%2Ff35bed62-521d-4930-b8b5-734568e71891.jpg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x3000+0+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fca%2F0f%2F77f62736461aa4078c5fa3626f62%2Ff35bed62-521d-4930-b8b5-734568e71891.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x3000+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fca%2F0f%2F77f62736461aa4078c5fa3626f62%2Ff35bed62-521d-4930-b8b5-734568e71891.jpg\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" alt=\"As Venezuelans struggle to find earthquake survivors, many blame the government\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/a>         <\/p>\n<div class=\"bucketblock\">\n<h3 class=\"slug\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/podcasts\/510366\/state-of-the-world\">State of the World from NPR <\/a><\/h3>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/06\/29\/nx-s1-5875423\/as-venezuelans-struggle-to-find-earthquake-survivors-many-blame-the-government\" data-metrics-ga4='{\"category\":\"recirculation\",\"action\":\"story_recirculation_click\",\"clickType\":\"inset box\",\"clickUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/06\/29\/nx-s1-5875423\/as-venezuelans-struggle-to-find-earthquake-survivors-many-blame-the-government\"}'>As Venezuelans struggle to find earthquake survivors, many blame the government<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETBLOCK\" -->\n      <\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKET IMG\" -->\n   <\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"RESNX-S1-5873975-100\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP INTERNALLINK INSETTWOCOLUMN INSET2COL \" --><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There were people in the ruins responding when we called out to them,&#8221; she says. &#8220;But now, they are dead.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Frustration is growing in Venezuela following the powerful twin quakes that the government says have killed at least 1,719 people. Critics claim the response from the country&#8217;s U.S.-backed government has been slow and inept, leaving it largely up to people in the disaster zone to save themselves and recover the dead.<\/p>\n<p>Such is the scene in Los Corales, in La Guaira, the state which the government says was hit the hardest by the disaster.<\/p>\n<p>Neighborhood volunteers have pulled more than a dozen corpses out of the 12-story building. But lacking body bags, they resort to garbage bags and plastic sheets. There are no refrigerated containers to store the bodies and in the tropical heat, the stench is overpowering.<\/p>\n<p>Venezuela has thousands of police and army troops. But they have been slow to arrive and some have been accused of looting. They&#8217;ve also set up roadblocks and are demanding government permits from doctors and rescue workers.<\/p>\n<div id=\"resnx-s1-5873975-101\" class=\"bucketwrap internallink insettwocolumn inset2col \">\n<div class=\"bucket img\">\n                  <a class=\"imagewrap\" id=\"featuredStackSquareImagenx-s1-5873413\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/06\/28\/nx-s1-5873413\/venezuela-earthquake\" data-metrics-ga4='{\"category\":\"recirculation\",\"action\":\"story_recirculation_click\",\"clickType\":\"inset box\",\"clickUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/06\/28\/nx-s1-5873413\/venezuela-earthquake\"}'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/5760x5760+1440+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff5%2F89%2F9b7a983e426eb7b22386b799be42%2Fap26179021779293.jpg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/5760x5760+1440+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff5%2F89%2F9b7a983e426eb7b22386b799be42%2Fap26179021779293.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/5760x5760+1440+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff5%2F89%2F9b7a983e426eb7b22386b799be42%2Fap26179021779293.jpg\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" alt=\"Venezuelan firefighters and volunteers search for possible victims atop a collapsed building in Caraballeda, La Guaira state, Venezuela, on June 27.\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/a>         <\/p>\n<div class=\"bucketblock\">\n<h3 class=\"slug\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/latin-america\/\">The Americas <\/a><\/h3>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/06\/28\/nx-s1-5873413\/venezuela-earthquake\" data-metrics-ga4='{\"category\":\"recirculation\",\"action\":\"story_recirculation_click\",\"clickType\":\"inset box\",\"clickUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/06\/28\/nx-s1-5873413\/venezuela-earthquake\"}'>&#8216;If you are alive, make any noise&#8217;: Venezuela searches rubble on Day 4<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETBLOCK\" -->\n      <\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKET IMG\" -->\n   <\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"RESNX-S1-5873975-101\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP INTERNALLINK INSETTWOCOLUMN INSET2COL \" --><\/p>\n<p>Julio Mel\u00e9ndez, who owns a Caracas construction company, tried to bring in a badly needed jackhammer to help break up debris and search for survivors. But the process took two days because police wanted to see his permit as well as the sales receipt for the jackhammer.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The only thing the authorities do is get in the way,&#8221; he says.<\/p>\n<p>Politics also got in the way the last time this part of Venezuela faced disaster.<\/p>\n<p>In 1999 after mudslides killed at least 10,000 people, then-President Hugo Ch\u00e1vez rejected help from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to rebuild roads and bridges. He instead relied on help from his communist allies in Cuba.<\/p>\n<p>Now, aid workers are arriving from all over the world. And Venezuela was already in bad shape before the earthquakes. People here have endured an economic meltdown plus a crackdown on their democracy. All this has prompted more than a quarter of the population to flee the country, including large numbers of health workers and engineers.<\/p>\n<div id=\"resg-s1-130963\" class=\"bucketwrap image large\">\n<div class=\"imagewrap has-source-dimensions\" data-crop-type=\"\" style=\"--source-width: 2026;--source-height: 1351\">\n<p>            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2026x1351+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/50\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F41%2F23%2F6aa92d3e4a588754365d79ce37bc%2Fgettyimages-2283893714.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2026x1351+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F41%2F23%2F6aa92d3e4a588754365d79ce37bc%2Fgettyimages-2283893714.jpg\" class=\"img\" alt=\"Alejandro Palomino, center, with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, checks his radio during a search and rescue mission in Catia La Mar, La Guaira state, Venezuela, on Sunday. The Los Angeles County Fire Department's international urban search and rescue team was working in neighborhoods devastated by Venezuela's back-to-back earthquakes, as part of the scramble to find survivors.\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-wrap\">\n<div class=\"caption\" aria-label=\"Image caption\">\n<p>\n                Alejandro Palomino, center, with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, checks his radio during a search and rescue mission in Catia La Mar, La Guaira state, Venezuela, on Sunday. The Los Angeles County Fire Department&#8217;s international urban search and rescue team was working in neighborhoods devastated by Venezuela&#8217;s back-to-back earthquakes, as part of the scramble to find survivors.<br \/>\n                <b class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><br \/>\n                    Carlos Becerra\/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images<br \/>\n                <\/b><br \/>\n                <b class=\"hide-caption\"><b>hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <b class=\"toggle-caption\"><b>toggle caption<\/b><\/b>\n    <\/div>\n<p>    <span class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><br \/>\n        Carlos Becerra\/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images<br \/>\n    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Retired Venezuelan Army Gen. Antonio Rivero says Rodr\u00edguez could have immediately deployed the country&#8217;s armed forces with trucks, generators, portable lights and water systems. That didn&#8217;t happen.<\/p>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"MID-STORY-RECOMMENDATIONS-MOUNT-PIANO\" CLASS=\"MID-STORY-RECOMMENDATIONS-MOUNT-PIANO\" ARIA-LABEL=\"RECOMMENDED STORIES\" --><\/p>\n<p>Rather than helping people, Rivero says, the security forces are trained to view them as a threat that could rise up against the country&#8217;s repressive government. Indeed, they have spent much of the past decade putting down opposition protests and arresting activists.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;How is it possible that during the worst earthquake in our history, the armed forces are a no-show,&#8221; \u00c1ngel Rangel, a former head of Venezuela&#8217;s civil defense agency, told local journalists. &#8220;They are prepared for riots but not natural disasters.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>After U.S. troops seized President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro in January, he was replaced by his vice president, Delcy Rodr\u00edguez. She held a variety of high-ranking posts in his authoritarian regime and has kept many Maduro hard-liners in her government.<\/p>\n<p>She&#8217;s widely blamed for the government&#8217;s haphazard response to the earthquake.<\/p>\n<p>Phil Gunson, who is based in Caracas for the International Crisis Group, says authoritarian regimes sometimes react faster than democracies during crises because they oversee vertical command systems. But he says Venezuela failed to maintain its civil defense capabilities and lacks ambulances, firefighting gear, and other basics.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;So, you have the worst of both worlds: an authoritarian system without any of the benefits,&#8221; he says.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the crisis has allowed Rodr\u00edguez to further delay a transition to democracy. The political opposition, led by Nobel Peace Prize recipient Mar\u00eda Corina Machado, has been demanding new elections after voter tallies indicated that Maduro stole the 2024 election. But now, the earthquake and recovery efforts are center stage.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;No one is seriously talking about elections anymore. That is all postponed indefinitely now,&#8221; says Orlando P\u00e9rez, a Latin America specialist at the University of North Texas at Dallas.<\/p>\n<p>He warns, however, that earthquakes can upend governments, as was the case in Nicaragua. Its dictator, Anastasio Somoza, and his cronies stole so much relief aid after a 1972 earthquake that it gave a boost to Sandinista rebels who eventually toppled him.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;That quake really was the beginning of the end of the Somoza regime,&#8221; P\u00e9rez says.<\/p>\n<p>In Venezuela, even before last week&#8217;s earthquakes, polls showed that acting President Rodr\u00edguez&#8217;s approval rating was sagging and now, in the disaster zone, the anger is palpable. <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;They are damned dogs,&#8221; says tearful woman who lost a nephew when the 12-story building collapsed. &#8220;I hope they rot in hell.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Nearby, volunteers continue to improvise as they search for signs of life. At one collapsed building, they attach a cable to a chunk of concrete then hit the gas to try to remove it.<\/p>\n<p>But it barely budges.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tags\">\n<ul>\n<li><a class=\"tag tag--story\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/tags\/126944133\/venezuela\">Venezuela<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"tag tag--story\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/tags\/133865258\/earthquakes\">earthquakes<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"tag tag--story\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/tags\/126938788\/south-america\">South America<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"tag tag--story\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/tags\/150955868\/latin-america\">Latin America<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"TAGS\" --><\/p>\n<div class=\"share-tools share-tools--secondary\" aria-label=\"Share tools\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"share-tools__service share-tools__service--facebook\"><button class=\"fbStorynx-s1-5873975\" data-share-facebook='{\"storyId\": \"nx-s1-5873975\" }' data-metrics-ga4='{\"category\":\"share\",\"action\":\"share\",\"clickName\":\"facebook\"}'><b class=\"share-tools__service-name\">Facebook<\/b><\/button><\/li>\n<li class=\"share-tools__service share-tools__service--flipboard\"><button class=\"storynx-s1-5873975\" data-share-flipboard='{\"storyId\": \"nx-s1-5873975\" }' data-metrics-ga4='{\"category\":\"share\",\"action\":\"share\",\"clickName\":\"flipboard\"}'><b class=\"share-tools__service-name\">Flipboard<\/b><\/button><\/li>\n<li class=\"share-tools__service share-tools__service--email\"><button class=\"share-tools__email-link\" data-story-id=\"nx-s1-5873975\" data-metrics-ga4='{\"category\":\"share\",\"action\":\"share\",\"clickName\":\"email\"}'><b class=\"share-tools__service-name\">Email<\/b><\/button><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"SHARE-TOOLS SHARE-TOOLS-SECONDARY\" ARIA-LABEL=\"SHARE TOOLS\" --><br \/>\n<!-- END ID=\"NEWSLETTER-ACQUISITION-CALLOUT-DATA\" DATA-NEWSLETTER=\"{&amp;QUOT;NEWSLETTERID&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;NEWS&amp;QUOT;,&amp;QUOT;TITLE&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;UP FIRST&amp;QUOT;,&amp;QUOT;MARKETINGHEADER&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;SIGN UP FOR NPR&#039;S UP FIRST NEWSLETTER&amp;QUOT;,&amp;QUOT;FREQUENCY&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;EVERY DAY&amp;QUOT;,&amp;QUOT;SHORTDESCRIPTION&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;THE STORIES YOU NEED TO START YOUR DAY, HAND-PICKED FOR YOU EVERY WEEKDAY. PLUS, THE BEST OF NPR EVERY SUNDAY.&amp;QUOT;,&amp;QUOT;STICKYDESCRIPTION&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;SIGN UP FOR THE NPR&#039;S UP FIRST NEWSLETTER FOR THE LATEST HEADLINES AND UNIQUE STORIES FROM THE NPR NETWORK.&amp;QUOT;,&amp;QUOT;CONTENTIMAGE&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;HTTPS:\/\/NPR.BRIGHTSPOTCDN.COM\/E1\/16\/E7434747460F8691603795B6FF1C\/SCREEN-SHOT-2025-08-20-AT-1-47-26-PM.PNG&amp;QUOT;,&amp;QUOT;STATICMARKUPDIR&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;\/BUCKETS\/TOPICS\/HEADER1001.HTML&amp;QUOT;,&amp;QUOT;BRANDINGDIR&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;\/BRANDING\/SECTIONS\/NEWS\/&amp;QUOT;,&amp;QUOT;BRANDINGLINK&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;HTTPS:\/\/WWW.NPR.ORG\/SECTIONS\/NEWS\/&amp;QUOT;,&amp;QUOT;RECAPTCHASITEKEY&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;6LCDN9IZAAAAAOHT985BJJBZJKBJKSXDXK3GEKST&amp;QUOT;}\" --><br \/>\n<!-- END ID=\"CALLOUT-END-OF-STORY-MOUNT\" --><\/p>\n<div id=\"callout-end-of-story-mount-piano-wrap\" class=\"callout-end-of-story-mount-piano-wrap\">\n<!-- END ID=\"CALLOUT-END-OF-STORY-MOUNT-PIANO\" CLASS=\"CALLOUT-END-OF-STORY-MOUNT-PIANO\" -->\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"CALLOUT-END-OF-STORY-MOUNT-PIANO-WRAP\" CLASS=\"CALLOUT-END-OF-STORY-MOUNT-PIANO-WRAP\" --><br \/>\n<!-- END ID=\"END-OF-STORY-RECOMMENDATIONS-MOUNT-PIANO\" CLASS=\"RECOMMENDED-STORIES RECOMMENDED-STORIES-PIANO\" ARIA-LABEL=\"RECOMMENDED STORIES\" --><br \/>\n<!-- END ID=\"END-OF-STORY-RECOMMENDATIONS-MOUNT\" CLASS=\"RECOMMENDED-STORIES\" ARIA-LABEL=\"RECOMMENDED STORIES\" --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Americas Venezuela&#8217;s deadly quakes put its U.S.-backed government to the test Updated June 29, 20266:04 PM ET<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":4831,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4829","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4829","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4829"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4829\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4831"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4829"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4829"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4829"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}