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Salvation Army volunteers have been dispatched to assist in relief efforts following the unprecedented flooding in Venezuela in which death tolls are estimated in the tens of thousands, according to Colonel Robin Forsyth, territorial commander for Latin America North.
Captain Sergei Acevedo, divisional commander in Columbia, made an early survey of needs and ten volunteers from the Venezuelan corps in Maracaibo are currently enroute by boat to La Guaira, scene of some of the most devastating loss of life. Acevedo played a significant role in the Army’s earlier relief efforts following the Central American hurricane last year. Thousands are believed to be buried under the mud caused by landslides following the flooding, and over one-hundred thousand are said to be homeless. All roads in the area are closed as is the nearby international airport. Water transportation appears the only way in.