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Email, the headlines are calling them "twin earthquakes." But no report can fully capture what was lost in Venezuela—or the families still digging through rubble with their bare hands 2 weeks later, searching for their loved ones.
For many survivors, the emergency didn't end when the ground stopped shaking. Families are still struggling to access medical care, clean water and safe shelter as humanitarian needs continue to grow.
That's why the IRC is rapidly expanding lifesaving operations across the hardest-hit communities. After the earthquakes hit, the IRC quickly sent emergency funding to our local partners, allowing them to expand health services through clinics and mobile medical units. Today we're expanding our response to reach even more families—but we can't do it without your support.
An IRC worker stands in front of damaged and collapsed buildings in La Guaira 1.5 weeks after the devastating twin earthquakes hit northern Venezuela.
The IRC's current focus in Venezuela is meeting families' most urgent needs. Two weeks after the quakes, many are still sheltering outdoors rather than risk returning to structurally compromised buildings—a fear made even more real by the hundreds of aftershocks since.
Our response on the ground is focused on three urgent priorities:
- Providing emergency healthcare through fixed clinics and mobile health units where local health systems have been overwhelmed.
- Restoring access to clean water by distributing hygiene kits and water purification supplies to help prevent disease outbreaks.
- Supporting children and families with protection services, case management and psychosocial support as they recover from unimaginable trauma.
IRC staff members prep kits with essential supplies from Táchira, Venezuela, which will be distributed to communities affected by the twin earthquakes in La Guaira and Caracas, Venezuela.
Your urgent gift can help ensure our teams can keep delivering emergency supplies to families who have lost everything »
Through all of the devastation, our teams have also seen extraordinary displays of solidarity. Delivery motorcyclists who normally carry food orders are transporting water and supplies into areas trucks cannot reach.
Spontaneous community collection points have appeared across Caracas, with neighbors gathering water, clothing and medicine for families hardest-hit areas.
Now I am asking you to stand with the people of Venezuela. Please give today, when your first monthly gift will be matched 5X to help the IRC continue delivering lifesaving support to families facing the unimaginable in crisis zones around the world.
I'm so grateful for IRC supporters like you in this time of crisis. I'll keep you updated on our emergency response.
Nicole Kast
Country Director, Venezuela
International Rescue Committee
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