President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela assumed emergency powers yesterday to tackle the devastating after-effect of mudslides caused by torrential rainfall which buried a dozen neighbourhoods and killed an estimated 25,000 people this week.
The National Constitutional Assembly, (ANC), Venezuela's transition power which drew up a new constitution this year, yesterday announced the formation of a congresillo, or "mini-congress" made up of 11 ANC delegates and 10 representatives of civil society, yet to be named. This temporary governing body will oversee the gap in state institutions until congressional and local authorities are elected next year.
Relief efforts were struck by a fresh tragedy yesterday, when a private helicopter flying a relief mission went out of control and crashed into a beach 20 km north of Caracas, killing all four people on board.
All flights have been suspended in the Vargas district, the worst affected by the floods, where visibility was reduced to fifty metres after a light drizzle was reported.
Mr Chavez announced that the state's priorities would be "food distribution, health, social organisation among the refugees and the construction of homes for the flood victims."
The official death toll remained at less than a thousand yesterday. Unofficial estimates for the number of dead ranged from 25,000 to 100,000, the discrepancy due to some estimates which counted all people still missing as dead.
Thousands of people in cut off districts are surviving on food and supplies stolen from abandoned homes and floating containers which were docked in Vargas port, just outside Caracas. At least 70,000 people have been rescued so far, with operations likely to continue for another fortnight.
The first flood victims were buried yesterday in graves located far from their homes, as cemeteries in affected areas were buried beneath mud. Every day brings a new urgency - yesterday it was drinking water and coffins.
The worst hit area is a narrow strip of land between Caracas and the Caribbean sea, where 350,000 people lived in modest homes, servicing the tourist industry or travelling into the city centre each day to sell contraband goods on the streets.
International aid has continued to arrive from around the world, with Britain pledging £500,000, while Cuba has sent doctors and Mexico provided experts in earthquake rescue operations.
The President, Mrs McAleese, has extended her sympathies to Mr Chavez and the people of Venezuela. Trocaire has allocated £20,000 to its partner agency in Venezuela, to help distribute relief supplies. The supplies, to be distributed by Caritas Venezuela, will included food as well as non-food aid. Concern announced yesterday it is committing $250,000 to the relief of people affected by the floods.