Trump administration pledges $150M in aid, deploys Navy warships after deadly Venezuela earthquakes

By Fox News · Fox News

Following a catastrophic set of earthquakes that left at least 235 people dead in Venezuela, the Trump administration has activated a government-wide humanitarian response, pledging $150 million in aid and deploying U.S. Navy warships to assist in life-saving rescue operations. The rapid mobilization Thursday comes after back-to-back magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes rocked northern Venezuela roughly 120 miles west of Caracas Wednesday night. The rare earthquake "doublet" injured more than 940 people and turned the state of La Guaira into a disaster zone , while forcing the closure of the damaged Simón Bolívar International Airport, according to Venezuela’s Health Ministry. US RESCUE TEAMS TO DESCEND ON HARD-HIT CARIBBEAN AFTER CATASTROPHIC HURRICANE MELISSA'S IMPACT The U.S. Department of State announced on Thursday it is mobilizing $150 million in aid, which includes $50 million in new bilateral awards for relief partners on the ground — such as Samaritan’s Purse, Catholic Relief Services and World Vision — along with a $100 million contribution to a United Nations humanitarian pooled fund. To spearhead efforts on the ground, the State Department has deployed a regional Disaster Assistance Response Team alongside two highly specialized urban search-and-rescue teams from fire departments in Fairfax County, Virginia, and Los Angeles County, California. U.S. WARSHIPS TO PATROL INTERNATIONAL WATERS AROUND VENEZUELA AS TRUMP VOWS TO STOP CARTELS U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said it is surging assigned U.S. military forces to the region, directing the USS Fort Lauderdale and the USS Billings to Venezuela to back the State Department-led operations. The USS Fort Lauderdale will serve as a "floating command center" with a flight deck to support heavy-lift helicopters and a well deck to launch landing craft, according to SOUTHCOM. Meanwhile, the agile USS Billings will provide critical support close to the shorelines to accelerate the disaster response missions. SOUTH…