Aid worker describes crisis in Venezuela, one month after devastating earthquakes

Friday marks one month since powerful earthquakes devastated parts of Venezuela, triggering a humanitarian crisis that is far from over. Damage to schools, health facilities and water systems has left communities without essential services, complicating an already difficult recovery. Amna Nawaz spoke with Nate Mook of the aid organization All Hands and Hearts, who just returned from Venezuela.

"I have spent time in Gaza, and that's kind of the closest I can describe it, just buildings completely brought down to the ground. And I think what's so tragic is now, a month later, Venezuelans are still there, standing on these buildings, digging down, trying to find their loved ones," Mook said.

"You have the U.S. government, which surged in resources and support right away. This has been one of the biggest responses from the State Department to a disaster in a very long time. And you have Marines on the ground running the major airport there," he added.

Mook described the scene in La Guaira as resembling a war zone, with families still searching through rubble with shovels and buckets. He noted that debris removal "hasn't even begun yet" in many areas, and that an estimated 500,000 people remain in need of humanitarian assistance according to the UN.

"I talked to a gentleman who was at the campito, and he had sort of built up his little tent structure, and they'd even -- he was even building a little garden. And I asked him, how long are you going to be here? And he said he expects to be here at least a year, maybe longer," Mook said.