Venezuela Sets Special Fund to Attend Emergency due to Rains

“We will replenish the money as needed. We will do it according to the emergency decree,” President Maduro said.

On Wednesday, Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro approved a "special fund" to attend to emergencies raised by torrential rains that have affected the states of Merida, Tachira, Zulia, and Caracas.

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"I am establishing a special fund worth US$2.2 million, which is renewable," he said, adding that local authorities can use of the resources to directly solve their territories' problems.

"We will replenish the money as necessary. We will do it according to the emergency decree," Maduro pointed out, specifying that the financing could be deployed to obtain machinery and equipment and establish preventive measures.

So far, some 10 municipalities have been severely affected in the state of Tachira, where 30 percent of the legumes and vegetables consumed by Venezuelans are produced.

In the state of Merida, the rains have destroyed four houses and 17 dwellings have been completely vacated due to greater risks.

In Zulia, some 12,500 hectares of production have been devastated by the storm, according to Ramon Mavares, the commander of the Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis Operational Zones (ZOEDAN).

"We are victims of climate change accumulated over the last century," Maduro said, recalling that contemporary "voracious capitalism" pollutes the sea and the atmosphere, causes greenhouse gases, and accelerates the melting of the poles.