Two devastating earthquakes struck Venezuela Wednesday evening, leaving hundreds dead and thousands missing as buildings collapsed across the northern region of the country. The magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 quakes have displaced thousands of families, prompting an urgent international humanitarian response as many more victims are feared dead.
Governments, nonprofits and members of the Venezuelan diaspora around the world are mobilizing to respond, working to find the missing and deliver medical care and humanitarian services to the thousands of injured and displaced.
Critical Needs and Infrastructure Challenges
Help is needed for search and rescue efforts, emergency shelter for displaced families and emergency health care, followed by safe water and sanitation, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Humanitarian organizations will face many challenges, including airport closures and the need for fast-tracked visas for aid workers, said Michael Capponi, president of Global Empowerment Mission (GEM). "No single organization can meet all the needs alone," he said. "Collaboration across governments and NGOs is critical to ensuring we cover all ground efficiently and swiftly."
Humanitarian Organizations Respond
Global Empowerment Mission, the Doral, Florida-based humanitarian relief organization, is collaborating with its long-term nonprofit partner the We Love Foundation. GEM immediately began packing food, water, hygiene supplies, medical necessities and other emergency relief items for shipment Thursday to Caracas, where it has set up a distribution hub. GEM has responded in Venezuela before, including in 2018 and 2019.
CORE, the humanitarian nonprofit, is deploying personnel and partnering with The Wayuu Taya Foundation, a nonprofit that supports Indigenous Wayuu communities in Venezuela and Colombia and who have staff on the ground in Caracas. They aim to distribute cash support to impacted families as well as food, drinking water, hygiene kits and other critical resources. CORE was founded after the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
Direct Relief, the California-based medical humanitarian organization, is funding the deployment of a team from Spanish Bomberos Unidos Sin Fronteras (BUSF) to assist search-and-rescue efforts, and is poised to send medical supplies to local healthcare partners as needed. Direct Relief has responded to multiple earthquakes, including the 2023 disaster in Syria and Turkey.
Healthcare Systems Under Strain
Despite experiencing damage to its own national headquarters, the Venezuelan Red Cross' nationwide network of hospitals and clinics remains active and continues to deliver care, and rescue teams are supporting evacuation and search efforts as well as mobilizing prepositioned relief supplies.
Red Cross Societies in Ecuador, Colombia, Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras and Argentina — countries home to large Venezuelan communities — have activated services to restore family links and help people find news of their loved ones.
Airlink, the global humanitarian organization, helps facilitate transport and logistics for other nonprofits needing to send relief and personnel to disasters worldwide. It will mobilize airlines and logistics companies to send search-and-rescue teams, medical responders and aid like medicines, water filters and food to Venezuela.
World Central Kitchen, the nonprofit founded by Chef José Andrés, is mobilizing to serve hot meals to affected families and first responders as quickly as possible. WCK has led multiple responses in Venezuela, most recently in 2024 when families in the state of Sucre were displaced by Hurricane Beryl.
Catholic Relief Services, the international aid agency of the U.S. Catholic Church, is working with local partner Caritas Venezuela to deliver emergency shelter, food, water and medical care to impacted families.
Global Impact, the philanthropy adviser and intermediary, has set up a Venezuela Earthquakes Response fund that will funnel aid to multiple vetted organizations, including UNICEF USA and Save the Children.
Why This Matters:
The Venezuela earthquakes expose the vulnerability of communities lacking adequate infrastructure and disaster preparedness systems. Thousands of families have lost their homes and loved ones, with displaced populations requiring immediate shelter, medical care, and basic necessities like clean water and sanitation. The crisis particularly impacts already marginalized groups, including Indigenous Wayuu communities being served by specialized organizations. The international humanitarian response demonstrates the essential role of coordinated nonprofit action and government cooperation in meeting basic human needs during disasters. Airport closures and visa requirements highlight how bureaucratic barriers can impede lifesaving assistance, underscoring the need for streamlined emergency protocols. The mobilization of Red Cross societies across Latin America reflects the interconnectedness of Venezuelan diaspora communities and the collective responsibility to support vulnerable populations across borders during humanitarian emergencies.