The U.S. Southern Command reported U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Kevin J. Jarrard was already working to solve problems in Venezuela after the earthquakes.
In the state of La Guaira, there was destruction at Simón Bolívar International Airport, also known as “Aeropuerto Internacional de Maiquetía,” CCS, or SVMI.
Jarrard arrived at Caracas on Thursday evening and met with Venezuelan Chief of Defense Gen. Gustavo González López on Friday.
The purpose of the meeting at the airport was “to conduct an assessment,” according to SOUTHCOM.
The primary runway, known as 10R or 18L, was closed due to cracks and won’t reopen until July, according to Venezuelan aviation authorities. Humanitarian aid flights were using the Rampa 4 terminal.
Jarrard is coordinating the U.S. military’s response, which includes moving response personnel, equipment, and humanitarian assistance, according to SOUTHCOM.
There was structural damage. Videos showed a ceiling collapsing inside the terminal. American Airlines had started flights to CCS on April 30, and the airline reported a suspension until at least July 3.
The U.S. Air Force McDonnell Douglas/Boeing C-17 Globemaster III landed at the Base Aérea el Libertador, or BAEL, a Venezuelan military base in central Venezuela’s area of Maracay, on Friday with a 79-person, 6-dog heavy urban search-and-rescue team from Virginia.
Así está ahora mismo el aeropuerto internacional de Maiquetía.
— David Iglesias (@DavidRIglesiasS) June 24, 2026
Aeropuerto principal de Venezuela a una hora de Caracas
Desconozco quien lo grabó y agradezco su trabajo pic.twitter.com/JYpPdgqfbK
More HELPING VENEZUELA coverage
- Food For The Poor packs disaster relief kits with ‘hopeful’ hand-written notes
- State Department deploys Miami-Dade search-and-rescue team
- Miami Beach opens 4 new aid drop-off locations - Clone
- Miami-Dade’s tax collector opens 11 drop-off locations
- Doral opens 4 aid drop-off locations
- Aid drop-off location opens in Homestead
- Starlink offers free service through July 25, but a kit is $470
- International Medical Corps deploys staff, needs donations
- Save The Children asks for emergency fund donations
- Samaritan’s Purse focuses on ‘emergency field hospital’
- Red Cross asks for Disaster Response Emergency Fund donations
- UN asks for donations for ‘underfunded’ program for kids
- World Vision asks for ‘disaster relief fund’ donations
- World Central Kitchen asks for donations for fresh meals
- United Way Miami launches ‘Operation Helping Hands’
Copyright 2026 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.
