1999: Landslides in Venezuela Left 50,000 People Dead or Missing,  Politics Complicated the Relief Effort

The State of Vargas was renamed “La Guaira” in 2019. La Guaira (Vargas) is located on the Caribbean Sea on an alluvial plain created by soil washed down from a nearby mountain range. The population of Vargas in 1999 was about 298,000 people. Between December 14 and 16, 1999, the region received 36 inches of rainfall. Mudslides caused massive destruction of most of the state infrastructure, including the collapse of most roads, bridges, housing, public and private buildings, and of basic services including electricity and communications. Official estimates were that some 50,000 were dead or missing.  The victims washed out to sea or buried under layers of mud could not be counted. In the following weeks, nearly the entire state's population was displaced.

Hugo Chavez was elected President of Venezuela in December 1998. During 1999, a Constitutional Assembly had met to write a new Constitution to replace the 1961 Constitution. The national vote to approve the new Constitution was scheduled for December 15, 1999. On that day of heavy rains, Venezuelans voted overwhelmingly to approve the new Constitution.  The Constitutional Assembly immediately provided Chavez with emergency powers to manage the Government’s response to the landslides. Chavez took personal charge of the rescue operations [3]. Chavez attributed the scale of the tragedy to “corrupt” previous governments that allowed illegal shantytowns on dangerous terrain [4]. No adequate Census had been taken in Venezuela and no proper land registry existed [1].

The new Constitution abolished governmental subsidies for political parties, unions and the Catholic Church. Archbishop Jose Ignacio Velasco claimed from the altar that the landslide tragedy was a punishment from God aimed at Chavez.[3] Chavez responded that the Archbishop needed to be “exorcised.” Chavez’s government and the new Constitution were opposed by the private sector and the media. Chavez requested that the Venezuelan Medical Association organize doctors for the relief effort. The request was rejected on grounds of security. Newspapers predicted that a “dictatorial war economy” would be declared.[3]

Venezuela appealed for international help. The Government of Cuba sent 454 doctors.  The Clinton Administration initially sent military helicopters and cargo planes with medical supplies, water purification machines and 120 soldiers. The US provided $3.4 million in aid. On December 24, 1999, Defense Minister Raul Salazar accepted a US offer to send US soldiers for an extended stay to rebuild the coastal road. In mid-January 2000, the USS Tortuga set sail for Venezuela with 450 US soldiers on board. President Chavez ordered the USS Tortuga to turn around and not land in Venezuela citing the country’s” sovereignty.”

·       “American officials said they were dismayed by Mr Chavez’s announcement. Chavez has thanked the United States for assistance, but he often speaks of the need to reduce American domination in the world.” [2]

·       “No one voiced what many people were thinking: how could a self-styled revolutionary government possibly allow imperialist soldiers to make a practice landing on beaches just half an hour from the capital?”  [1]



·       1.Gott, Richard, Hugo Chavez and the Bolivarian Revolution, 2000

2.New York Times, Despite Venezuela Rebuff, U. S. Will Keep Aiding Flood Victims, January 20,2000

3. New York Times, Floods Confuse Venezuela’s Political Outlook, December 24, 1999

4. New York Times, Venezuela Buries Truckloads of its Dead, December 22,1999.                                                                            

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