Firefighters from five Palm Beach County agencies are in Venezuela as part of a South Florida task force assisting with search-and-rescue efforts following two earthquakes last week that left nearly 1,500 people dead and thousands more missing along the South American nation’s north coast.
Five Palm Beach County Fire Rescue firefighters — Battalion Chief Eric Johnson, Lt. Alexander Parada, firefighter Samuel Adler, Capt. Anthony de Jesus and driver operator Zachary Shepherd — went as part of Florida Task Force 2 on June 27.
Also deploying were Jupiter Fire Rescue Division Chief Rob Ramirez and Capt. Kenneth Olsen; Delray Beach Fire Rescue Capts. Chris Abaldo and Joey Cafone; and Boca Raton Fire Rescue firefighter Hunter Coddington.
West Palm Beach Fire Rescue sent five members to Venezuela along with a search and rescue dog.
Led by Miami Fire-Rescue, Florida Task Force 2 has brought 80 personnel from 26 statewide municipalities to Venezuela, struck on June 24 by two earthquakes more powerful than the 2010 one that leveled parts of Haiti.
A June 28 report said Venezuelan officials had confirmed 1,450 deaths following the earthquakes, with thousands more reported missing.
Efforts are underway across South Florida to help the people of Venezuela in the aftermath of the earthquakes. Here is a list of organizations and restaurants accepting donations.
The most needed items include: non-perishable food, first aid kits, bandages, gauze, antiseptic wipes, pain-relief medications, flashlights, batteries, solar phone chargers and baby formula.
Julius Whigham II covers northern Palm Beach County and public safety for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Venezuela search efforts aided by Palm Beach County firefighters
Reporting by Julius Whigham II and Valentina Palm, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Julius Whigham II and Valentina Palm, Palm Beach Post | USA TODAY Network
