On the 23rd, the World Bank released an estimate that direct damage to housing and other structures from the major earthquake that struck northwestern Venezuela on the 24th of last month amounts to 19.6 billion dollars. About half of the damage is concentrated in housing, while infrastructure and non-residential buildings each account for just under 30 percent. The World Bank warned that if public and private investment remains at current levels, there is a risk that reconstruction will not be completed even after ten years, and sounded the alarm that the negative economic impact could be prolonged.