The Council of La Palma conveyed its support and solidarity to the Venezuelan people this Thursday following the devastating earthquakes registered in the country. The island's president, Sergio Rodríguez, communicated the institution's concern given an emergency for which, according to his statements, reliable information is still scarce.
Rodríguez described the images coming from Venezuela as "impactful," while urging caution until more precise data is available on the extent of the damage and the needs of the affected population. "We deeply regret what is happening, it seems like everything bad is happening at once. We here know the impact of a natural catastrophe, of a different kind, and we perfectly understand how people can feel. All our support and solidarity," he stated to the media.
“"We deeply regret what is happening, it seems like everything bad is happening at once. We here know the impact of a natural catastrophe, of a different kind, and we perfectly understand how people can feel. All our support and solidarity."
The message of support is linked to La Palma's recent experience with the 2021 volcanic eruption, a natural disaster that directly affected thousands of residents and left deep social, economic, and territorial scars on the island. Rodríguez avoided direct comparisons between phenomena but emphasized that the island understands the human impact of a catastrophe and the initial uncertainty.
The island institution maintains active communication with the Government of the Canary Islands and the Vice-Ministry of External Action to offer necessary collaboration. Rodríguez explained that they are awaiting more detailed information to determine the type of useful aid and its channeling. The regional government, for its part, has contacted Canary Islander entities in Venezuela and offered support to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to coordinate possible actions, in a context of communication difficulties in some areas of the country.
Furthermore, the president of the Council sent a message of "much encouragement" to the affected families and the emergency teams working on the ground. The institution reiterated that any further statement will depend on the information that becomes known and the needs assessment carried out by authorities and entities operating in Venezuela.
The lack of verified information in the hours following the earthquakes has been highlighted as one of the main challenges. The Council of La Palma acknowledges it does not yet have a complete diagnosis of the emergency's impact, and the circulation of unverified data and communication outages necessitate maintaining prudence.
