A Canadian search and rescue team has helped locate a young survivor trapped under the rubble of an earthquake in Venezuela, as the country’s official death toll rose to 3,342. Another 16,470 people were injured, while 17,345 were left homeless.
In a speech to mark Venezuela’s 215th Independence Day, Interim President Delcy Rodriguez defended the government’s response to the earthquakes, saying security forces were deployed immediately after the quakes and announced the creation of a new military unit to help respond to future emergencies.
Tens of thousands of local and international relief workers are continuing search and recovery efforts.
They included seven members of the Burnaby Urban Search and Rescue Team and two search dogs, who spent four days searching for survivors in some of the country’s worst-hit areas.
In an interview with Global News after returning home, Ryan Perry, head of Burnaby Urban Search and Rescue, described the devastation his team witnessed.
“If I were to describe it in one word, I would say it was devastating,” Perry said. “We were in areas where entire buildings collapsed. Anywhere from low-rise buildings to high-rise buildings, they completely collapsed and completely collapsed. It was very devastating.”
The Burnaby-based team was deployed as a light urban search and rescue unit, allowing members to reach the disaster area quickly.
Scenes from Venezuela from the Burnaby Urban Search and Rescue Team.
Courtesy of Burnaby Urban Search and Rescue Team.
Publishing Director Shawn Muhammad said that quick response is one of the team’s biggest strengths.
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“Being light compared to medium to heavy teams gives us the operational flexibility to reach the country sooner,” Mohammed said. “Within the first 48 to 36 hours, it is essential to have someone in the country to start understanding where the needs are.”
Working in extreme temperatures, the team searched collapsed buildings for signs of life using specialized search techniques.
“We start with our drone, and then our police dog teams head to the pile,” Perry said. “Our canine team is trained on live and deceased indicators, so they can differentiate between the two.”
One of these searches led to a breakthrough.
“Both K9 units, separately, indicated a live hit,” Perry said. “From there, we deployed our DELSAR device, which is an audio listening device.”
The team later learned that a young boy had been rescued alive.
Destroyed building in Venezuela. Courtesy of Burnaby Urban Search and Rescue Team.
Despite the successful rescue, Perry said it was difficult to celebrate a life saved while they were surrounded by so much loss.
“But when you’re in that situation and working in sites where family members are digging with their bare hands trying to find their loved ones, that’s a very limited sense of celebration,” he added.
Many Venezuelans have questioned their government’s response, citing delays in relief supplies and a lack of heavy machinery to clear the rubble.
Mohammed said that responding to a disaster of this magnitude requires flexibility and the ability to adapt to changing circumstances.
“We’ve become very skilled at getting around and finding ways to connect with people,” he said. “If there is work to be done, we will not close our doors, we will continue to move and work.”
Although Burnaby’s spread has come to an end, Mohamed said the people of Venezuela are still on the team’s minds.
“I know our time frame in Venezuela is short but our hearts and thoughts are still with the Venezuelan people,” Mohamed said. “It’s a long way forward.”
Scenes from Venezuela from the Burnaby Urban Search and Rescue Team. Courtesy of Burnaby Urban Search and Rescue Team.
While urban search and rescue operations in Burnaby have since returned home, the Canadian humanitarian response continues. Speaking to Global News before deploying to Venezuela, Jackson Raul, leader of Canada’s medical aid team, said his team’s mission is to help relieve pressure on hospitals treating people affected by the earthquakes.
“Our mission, our mission, is to create a consistent, first-class emergency medical team,” Raoul said. “We will provide primary and urgent care integrated with a local hospital in the Caracas region of Venezuela.”
The team will provide care to outpatients who do not require hospitalization, helping local hospitals focus on the most serious cases.
