At a time of uncertainty, the Venezuelan earthquake hit harder

Rodriguez addressed the public on state television channel VTV more than two hours after the quake.

Before then, official information was scarce, no doubt because lines of communication to some of the worst-hit areas were cut. But the Maduro government’s clampdown on independent media has led to the closure of hundreds of mainly local radio stations and news stations, which in the past were key to providing local updates.

Rodriguez was flanked by her brother Jorge, who served as president of the National Assembly and was sworn in as interim president days after Maduro’s capture, and Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, another staunch Maduro ally.

Unlike Cabello often did in the months before the US military intervention, Cabello did not wear military fatigues. He stood as quietly as her brother next to Rodriguez.

Rodriguez was visibly shaken as she delivered her speech, in which she called for unity among Venezuelans who have been deeply divided for more than a decade between supporters of Maduro and his predecessor and mentor Hugo Chávez and those who oppose him.

She also declared a state of emergency and tasked General Juan Ernesto Sulbara, commander of Venezuela’s National Guard, with leading the emergency response.

During the more than quarter century that Chávez and Maduro were in power, key positions in the government were held by senior military officers.

Many government ministries have been in the hands of generals for years, and analysts say one of the reasons why Venezuela’s infrastructure is so damaged is the incompetence of officials.

In the watchful eye of the Trump administration, Rodríguez recently replaced the general who headed the Ministry of Housing with a civil engineer with a degree in architecture, and the General who headed the Ministry of Electricity with an electrical engineer.

However, years of shortages—exacerbated by US sanctions—and mismanagement have worsened, particularly in most public housing.

For example, cement shortages caused by the collapse of the state-owned cement industry under Chávez often left buildings and homes vulnerable to the failure of much-needed repairs.