An elite team of rescuers from the Miami-Dade Fire Department (MDFR) arrived in Venezuela over the weekend to begin the second phase of the search and rescue mission for victims of the two earthquakes that struck the South American country on June 24.
The unit, known as Florida Task Force 1 (FLTF1), departed from Homestead Air Reserve Base after being activated by the U.S. State Department, which is coordinating Washington’s humanitarian response to one of the worst natural disasters in the Caribbean nation’s recent history.
The MDFR confirmed the deployment in a post released Sunday, which showed agency personnel arriving in Venezuela to begin this new phase of their work. The department emphasized that the team is bringing a human element that goes beyond technical expertise.
“It carries with it much more than specialized training and equipment: it also carries compassion, hope, and a commitment to stand alongside those facing an unimaginable situation,” MDFR stated on Friday, announcing the group’s activation.
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava emphasized the County’s connection to the tragedy, given that the region is home to the largest Venezuelan community outside of Venezuela.
“This team from Miami-Dade and also from the City of Miami is very important; many of them speak Spanish, most of them. It’s very important for them,” the mayor affirmed before their departure.
FLTF1 is a Type I urban search and rescue unit comprised of 80 specialists, six canine teams, and experts in 19 functional areas, including command and control, technical search, structural assessment and stabilization, advanced medical care, hazardous materials management, and tactical communications. The force is designed to operate autonomously in disaster zones.
Captain Germán Leal, a member of the Miami-Dade Fire Department, detailed the equipment accompanying the team. “We have high-frequency radios, we have equipment designed to search for people, and we also have the dogs,” he noted.
Meanwhile, firefighter Obed Frometa, a member of the group, conveyed the objective that keeps the crew active: “That one miracle we can bring home, that’s what we’re going for.”
The unit has an extensive history of international missions, with previous responses to earthquakes in Mexico, El Salvador, Armenia, the Philippines, Colombia, Turkey, and Haiti, in addition to a previous deployment to Venezuela during the 1997 Cariaco earthquake and its participation in the collapse of the Surfside building in South Florida.
The earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale, occurred just 39 seconds apart and were centered in the state of Yaracuy, in northern Venezuela. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) classified them as the most powerful earthquakes recorded in Venezuela since 1900.
The official death toll exceeds 1,400, while authorities report thousands injured, and the United Nations estimates that some 6.76 million people have been affected. The coastal region of La Guaira is among the hardest hit, with dozens of buildings collapsed.
The deployment of FLTF1 is part of the U.S. government’s response, which had already sent two search and rescue teams from Los Angeles and Fairfax, Virginia.
President Donald Trump authorized $150 million in humanitarian aid, while Southern Command mobilized the ships USS Fort Lauderdale and USS Billings to support the operations.
More than 16 countries have sent aid, and there are now more than 1,000 rescuers deployed on Venezuelan soil, where the work continues against the clock in the hope of finding survivors in the rubble.
