Venezuela orders schools used as earthquake shelters to be cleared by October

President of the National Assembly and head of the Transient Camps program, Jorge Rodríguez, announced a deadline for emptying schools that are currently housing families displaced by the June 24 earthquakes. The schools must be vacated between September and October to allow the start of the new school year.

Rodríguez detailed a three‑track plan to rehouse more than 17,000 people: completing pending homes from the Gran Misión Vivienda Venezuela, purchasing secondary‑market units, and building new anti‑seismic houses on identified plots in La Guaira, Catia la Mar, Caraballeda, Naiguatá and the Sabana area. At the time of the announcement the camp system operated 94 facilities with capacity for 24,129 people, of which 18,437 were housed.

The transition aims to move families from collective school shelters—currently equipped with beds, kitchens, showers and 24‑hour medical care—to single‑family transient units, providing greater privacy before permanent housing is delivered.