In the wake of two powerful back-to-back earthquakes that struck Venezuela last week, St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) Prime Minister Godwin Friday has reaffirmed the Caribbean nation’s unwavering solidarity with Venezuela, committing US$100,000 to regional relief efforts coordinated by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
Delivering an official address to SVG’s Parliament on Thursday, Friday framed the June 24 quakes as among the deadliest natural disasters Venezuela has faced in modern history, with the full scope of human tragedy and infrastructural damage continuing to emerge days after the event. As of one week post-disaster, official counts place the death toll near 2,300, with more than 11,000 people injured and over 4,500 requiring ongoing hospital care. The United Nations has warned that the final death toll could climb above 10,000 as search-and-recovery operations progress and the odds of locating additional survivors drop sharply.
“That is a horrific disaster, and a toll that is hard to comprehend,” Friday told members of parliament, noting that statistics alone cannot capture the full weight of the crisis. “Numbers never tell the full story in a disaster… many survivors will carry the trauma of this event with them, perhaps for the rest of their lives.” Beyond human loss, the quakes left widespread destruction across housing, public utilities, and critical infrastructure, including widespread damage in the capital city of Caracas and other hard-hit regions.
To stay apprised of on-the-ground conditions, SVG has maintained consistent communication through its diplomatic presence in Venezuela. SVG’s ambassador to Caracas, Gareth Bynoe, has remained in the country to coordinate outreach, providing regular situation updates to SVG’s Foreign Affairs Minister Dwight Fitzgerald Bramble as access allows. Bramble, in turn, has directly contacted Venezuelan diplomatic counterparts to convey official condolences, restate SVG’s solidarity, and confirm the nation stands ready to provide additional support where possible.
Friday stressed that even with significant domestic resource limitations and SVG’s own recent experience with disaster recovery following Hurricane Beryl in July 2024, the small Caribbean nation is committed to stepping up alongside regional partners. CARICOM has organized a unified regional relief response, led by Guyana and supported by the CARICOM Secretariat, and SVG has contributed its pledged $100,000 to this coordinated effort. Friday confirmed that SVG will continue to provide additional assistance both through the regional mechanism and via direct bilateral support moving forward.
The prime minister grounded SVG’s response in the decades-long close relationship between the two nations. Diplomatic and development cooperation between Kingstown and Caracas dates back to the early 1970s, before SVG gained formal independence in 1979, with full diplomatic relations officially established in 1981. “St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Venezuela have long shared an enduring friendship,” Friday said, pointing to generations of cross-border collaboration and partnership. “Given this history, and our shared humanity, Vincentians are called to be our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers at this moment of crisis.”
Extending sympathy beyond Venezuelan borders, Friday expressed condolences to all people affected by the disaster, including nationals of other countries who lost family members or loved ones in the quakes. “We mourn with the bereaved families and further extend our sympathy and support to the injured, displaced, and all those whose lives have been profoundly affected,” he said. He also commended the rapid response from the broader international community, and praised fellow Caribbean states for contributing to relief efforts even amid their own ongoing economic and social challenges.
Closing his address, Friday expressed full confidence in Venezuela’s ability to recover and rebuild from the disaster. “We are confident that they will work through this difficult time and rebuild lives, homes, businesses, and communities,” he said. “May God continue to be with them.”