Photo Credit: Tal Cual, Sucre, Venezuela, July 2024

You may have heard that Hurricane Beryl caused significant devastation across various countries in the Caribbean Sea. Jamaica, Barbados, Grenada, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines have been severely affected, and aid and recovery operations are ongoing.

Sadly, as the media report, the northern province of Sucre in Venezuela has also been badly impacted, with many thousands of people losing their homes and properties. The destruction is severe. Given my job, I am sure you can rightly guess that I am very interested in following up on the overall situation. The last nine days have been filled with attempts to understand the needs and support those who are working tirelessly to address them. The work has been emotional in many ways, as it is truly heartbreaking to see people enduring so much suffering. Hopefully, the efforts of countless people delivering aid to those affected will bring at least some relief to those in need. Here, my gratitude and words of highest respect go to the teams of Venezuela Civil Protection, as well as the local Red Cross, doing truly heroic work in helping the affected people.