Two weeks after the twin earthquakes that put northern Venezuela into a state of emergency and chaos, the South American country continues fighting for its survival.
According to the latest figures, the death toll has reached at least 3,685 people. Apart from the fatalities, EFE noted that the citizen-run platform "Desaparecidos Terremoto Venezuela" has logged more than 30,000 reports of people who remain missing.
As volunteers and officials continue searching through the rubble for survivors, the rest of the country has shifted its focus to another urgent question: how to rebuild Venezuela after the disaster.
That appears to be a daunting task with an assessment by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction estimating direct physical damage at $37 billion. Of that total, $24 billion is attributed to damage to buildings, including schools, hospitals and other public facilities, while the remaining $13 billion is tied to infrastructure.
As noted by the U.N., the Humanitarian Response Plan for Venezuela had received $274 million as of July 6, along with more than $32 million from private-sector donors and additional in-kind contributions of goods and services.
But as with any large-scale natural disaster, the true cost of rebuilding a country can vary. According to Venezuelan economist Asdrúbal Oliveros, who spoke to the BBC, reconstruction costs for infrastructure alone will likely range between $12 billion and $15 billion.
Alejandro Grisanti of the Venezuelan consulting firm Ecoanalítica told BBC Mundo that his initial estimate for the country's total reconstruction cost is about $20 billion. With such a titanic amount of money needed to restore northern Venezuelan cities to their former glory, many experts are asking where the funding will come from.
Grisanti told BBC Mundo that "while the international solidarity shown in the immediate aftermath through the deployment of rescue teams is appreciated, the amounts announced to help Venezuela rebuild are far below what will ultimately be needed."
Interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez announced, one day after the earthquakes, that her government would mobilize $200 million allocated to Venezuela by the International Monetary Fund. According to Rodríguez, the funds will be used to rebuild hospitals, homes and other infrastructure in the affected areas.
The United States, meanwhile, has sent $300 million in aid and deployed about 900 U.S. military personnel to assist with search-and-rescue efforts.
According to economists consulted by the BBC, the Venezuelan government does not have the financial resources to deal with a disaster of this magnitude on its own.
"The country lacks preparedness and access to international financing, and now it is forced to pursue solutions without knowing how they will arrive or how long they will last," Tamara Herrera of the analysis firm Síntesis Financiera said.
One point on which experts agreed is that, beyond the fact that the aid received so far falls short of what is required, governments around the world also have doubts about the Venezuelan authorities' ability to use donated funds and resources effectively given the negative reputation they earned under the Nicolás Maduro regime.
"When there is so much distrust and so many unresolved corruption cases, it is normal for the international community's first reaction to be one of skepticism," Grisanti said. "The Venezuelan state's lack of transparency and the doubts surrounding its legitimacy make it difficult to secure the international assistance that will be needed," he added.
Adding to that distrust is Venezuela's lack of access to credit from international institutions. As noted by the BBC, Venezuela has been in default since 2017. Since then, it has been unable to raise money in international financial markets and has accumulated nearly $170 billion in unpaid debt.
For Herrera, the situation the government has created for the Venezuelan people is critical.
"We are faced with a bankrupt and heavily constrained state that has no way to respond appropriately, making coordination with the rest of society essential," she said.
