A Canadian search and rescue team helped locate a young survivor trapped beneath earthquake rubble in Venezuela, where the country’s official death toll has climbed to 3,342. Another 16,470 people have been injured, while 17,345 have been left homeless.
In a speech commemorating 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 announcing the creation of a new military unit to help respond to future emergencies.
Tens of thousands of local and international relief workers continue search and recovery efforts.
Among them were seven members of Burnaby Urban Search and Rescue and two search dogs, who spent four days searching for survivors in some of the country’s hardest-hit areas.
In an interview with Global News after returning home, Ryan Berry, president of Burnaby Urban Search and Rescue, described the destruction his team witnessed.
“If I were to describe it in one word, I’d say it was devastating,” Berry said. “We were in areas where entire blocks were all collapsed. Anywhere from low-rise to high-rise buildings at all pancaked and collapsed completely. So devastating.”
The Burnaby-based team deployed as a light urban search and rescue unit, allowing members to reach the disaster zone quickly.
Scenes from Venezuela from the Burnaby Urban Search and Rescue Team.
Courtesy of the Burnaby Urban Search and Rescue Team.
Deployment director Shawn Mohammed said that rapid 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 agility to get into country sooner,” Mohammed said. “Within that first 48 to 36 hours, it’s imperative to get someone in country to start understanding where the needs are.”
Working in sweltering heat, the team searched collapsed buildings for signs of life using specialized search techniques.
“We start with our drone, and then our canine teams go onto the pile,” Berry said. “Our canine team are trained for live and deceased indications, so they can distinguish between the two.”
One of those searches led to a breakthrough.
“Both our K9 units, separately, both indicated a live hit,” Berry said. “From there, we deployed our DELSAR, which is acoustic listening equipment.”
The team later learned a young boy had been rescued alive.
A ruined building in Venezuela. Courtesy of the Burnaby Urban Search and Rescue Team.
Despite the successful rescue, Berry 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 you’re working on sites where family members are digging with their bare hands trying to find their loved ones, it’s a very limited feeling (of) celebration,” he said.
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 responding to a disaster of that scale required flexibility and the ability to adapt to changing conditions.
“We become very crafty in getting around and finding ways to connect with people,” he said. “If there’s work to be done, we don’t shut down, we keep moving and working.”
Although Burnaby’s deployment has come to an end, Mohammed said the people of Venezuela remain on the team’s minds.
“I know that our time frame in Venezuela is short but our hearts and our thoughts are still with the Venezuelan people,” Mohammed said. “It’s a long road ahead.”
Scenes from Venezuela from the Burnaby Urban Search and Rescue Team. Courtesy of the Burnaby Urban Search and Rescue Team.
While Burnaby Urban Search and Rescue has since returned home, Canada’s humanitarian response continues. Speaking with Global News before deploying to Venezuela, Canadian Medical Assistance Team leader Jackson Raoul said his team’s mission is to help relieve pressure on hospitals treating people affected by the earthquakes.
“Our mission, our task, is to establish a Type 1 fixed emergency medical team,” Raoul said. “We’ll be providing primary and urgent care integrated with a local hospital in the Caracas region of Venezuela.”
The team will provide outpatient care for patients who do not require hospital admission, helping local hospitals focus on more serious cases.
