Venezuela: World Food Programme Warns of Devastating Earthquakes Impact - Presser | United Nations

World Food Program (WFP) Country Director in Venezuela Stephanie Hochstetter described the situation in the country as “devastating” after the twin earthquakes, reiterating that the Programme is working with the authorities to reach people who are in need of assistance. Hochstetter spoke to reporters today via video link from La Guaira. She said, “search and rescue efforts are now giving way to a full-blown humanitarian response and the need for food, safe water, shelter and just essential services is immediate and critical.” The WFP official said the communities affected by the earthquakes are concerned of how to get food on a daily basis. She said, “some of them still cook, but it's currently difficult to buy food in the in the current context, which is why we're also providing food to them, to cook. And we're also providing ready to eat food.” Hochstetter also said, “WFP has more than 3, 000 metric tons of food in country, so that's enough to feed more than 10,000 families for two months,” adding that the Programme is procuring additional supplies. She said, “there is food availability in Venezuela, so we are procuring locally. And in addition, we have available stocks in Colombia that can be rapidly reallocated to support the emergency response.” Hochstetter highlighted that WFP has an “unmatched” logistical footprint in the states hardest hit by the earthquakes, and across the region. She said, “in coordination with the authorities, scaling up, will be possible very quickly.” Asked about challenges, the WFP official said, “as in any other catastrophe of this magnitude, it's just the setting up and reaching the people as quickly as possible. The prepositioning of food in the country did help very much, because we already have the food in the country. But at the same time, we're not sure how to the extent of the need. So we are working with our colleagues in Colombia to get the food we need eventually in case of need.”


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