Canarias offers team of 19 specialists to support Venezuela earthquake emergency

The Gobierno de Canarias has informed the Spanish state of its readiness to provide a team of up to 19 specialised professionals to assist in the international response to the emergency affecting Venezuela, the regional government announced on Saturday. The activation of this contingent will depend on an assessment by the European Civil Protection Mechanism, which is responsible for coordinating international aid offered by participating countries.

The initiative has been coordinated by the Dirección General de Emergencias of the Gobierno de Canarias, which canvassed the availability of qualified personnel across various professional fields through contact with the relevant professional associations. The proposal will be forwarded to the Centro Nacional de Emergencias (CENEM), the body that channels such offers and submits them to the European Civil Protection Mechanism, which coordinates the capacities provided by participating countries and determines, based on needs identified on the ground, which resources will ultimately be deployed.

Team composition

The proposal comprises a maximum capacity of 19 professionals: five forensic doctors — two forensic anthropologists and three pathology specialists —, three architects, three psychologists, and eight social workers. The regional government explains that this composition reflects the needs that typically arise in large-scale emergencies, where technical, medical and social support must be combined with structural assessments and psychological assistance for those affected.

The final number of professionals who may be deployed has not yet been decided. The offer made by Canarias represents the maximum available capacity, but it will be the Dirección General de Protección Civil y Emergencias, through the CENEM and in coordination with the European Civil Protection Mechanism, that ultimately determines which profiles and how many personnel are mobilised, taking into account needs on the ground and the capacities contributed by other autonomous communities.

Coordination and logistics

If selected for deployment, the contingent will operate under a single command structure and in accordance with the directives of the Dirección General de Protección Civil y Emergencias, the CENEM and the competent Venezuelan authorities. This system is intended to ensure that all international resources work in a coordinated manner, avoiding duplication of effort.

The operation has been designed to ensure deployment readiness under suitable conditions. Since accommodation and meals have been arranged in advance through the Casas Canarias in Venezuela, each member of the contingent will carry their personal effects, individual protective equipment (PPE) and the basic consumables required to carry out their duties.

Planned functions

The forensic medicine professionals would provide technical support in victim identification, the conducting of forensic medical examinations and the management of post-mortem information, always under the authority of the competent judicial and forensic bodies. The architecture team would carry out initial visual assessments of the condition and habitability of buildings, help prioritise necessary inspections and provide non-expert technical advice.

The psychologists would offer psychological first aid, crisis intervention, grief support and assistance to both the affected population and the response teams. The social work staff would assess the most urgent needs, identify situations of particular vulnerability, facilitate guidance and referral to available resources, and contribute to community support for those affected.

Through this initiative, the regional government says, Canarias reaffirms its commitment to cooperation and international solidarity with a country with which it maintains historic, family and social ties, placing specialised technical capacities at the disposal of the Sistema Nacional de Protección Civil and the European Civil Protection Mechanism.