Urban Search and Rescue Florida Task Force 1 (FL-TF1) and Florida Task Force 2 (FL-TF2) returned to Miami International Airport after a weeklong deployment to Venezuela, where they assisted with search and rescue efforts following the country’s devastating earthquakes.
The teams were activated by the U.S. Department of State and worked alongside Venezuelan first responders and other international partners during the humanitarian response. Their work included technical search operations, structural assessments, rescue operations and specialized support in areas heavily damaged by the earthquakes.
The mission carried special significance for many task force members. South Florida is home to one of the largest Venezuelan communities outside Venezuela, and many responders have deep personal, cultural and family ties to the region. For those deployed, the opportunity to assist communities in need made the mission especially meaningful.
The 159 task force members and 11 search dogs conducted around-the-clock structural collapse operations, primarily in the hard-hit state of La Guaira. The team worked with Venezuelan rescue crews and international partners as they searched damaged buildings and helped assess dangerous structures.
The deployment was emotional and personal for many members of the team, including Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Capt. German Leal, who grew up in the affected area and still has close ties to the community.
Leal said he remembered riding bikes with family and friends in Venezuela and visiting familiar places throughout the area. Seeing the damage, he said, was difficult.
He said it was hard to see buildings destroyed and neighborhoods damaged, but he also said the people there were kind and welcoming to the task force members, even while facing their own losses.
For the South Florida teams, the return to Miami marked the end of a difficult mission and the beginning of recovery after days spent working in one of the hardest-hit areas of Venezuela.
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