As the Venezuela Earthquake Death Toll Nears 5,000 Catholic Charities Bring Aid to the Victims with 30,000 Volunteers

Humanitarian Crisis in Venezuela: Caritas Mobilizes Mass Response Following Devastating Twin Earthquakes

On June 24, two powerful earthquakes struck northern Venezuela just 39 seconds apart, leaving a trail of widespread destruction across several cities. With search and rescue operations now concluded, the country enters a sobering phase of assessing the full scale of the disaster.

The Human Toll and Immediate Fallout

The catastrophic impact is concentrated across six states—the Capital District, La Guaira, Miranda, Aragua, Carabobo, and Falcón—an area home to over 10 million people.

• Casualties: Media reports confirm 4,930 fatalities, with 16,592 people injured and more than 41,000 individuals still missing.

• Displacement: According to official data, over 17,000 people have been left entirely homeless, currently seeking shelter across 79 makeshift camps spanning from La Guaira to Caracas.

• Infrastructure: In high-impact zones like La Guaira, entire apartment blocks collapsed.

“I have no words. We spent the night in the street because we couldn’t go back into our home. There was a person buried next to our house, and we couldn’t do anything. In Playa Verde, almost everything was destroyed.” — Yahaira Azuaje, resident of Playa Verde, La Guaira

The Humanitarian Response

In the face of this tragedy, Cáritas de Venezuela—supported by Catholic Relief Services and local church partners—has launched one of the largest humanitarian mobilizations in the nation's history.

Rapid Relief Deployment

Leveraging an established network of nearly 30,000 volunteers, Caritas activated its "24×24" emergency plan within hours of the quakes. Operating through 35 newly opened diocesan centers, the relief effort has already reached nearly 18,000 affected individuals with vital provisions:

• 8,000 emergency food kits

• 4,900 hygiene kits

• Over 120,000 liters of safe drinking water

• Critical medical supplies and psychological first aid

Local clergy and volunteers are actively converting presbyteries into temporary medicine banks, reopening community kitchens, and rehabilitating parish wells to provide free water to neighborhood families.

Leadership on the Ground

Monsignor José Luis Azuaje, President of Caritas Venezuela, has been visiting the hardest-hit communities to offer support and coordinate relief efforts.

“Being here, sharing the suffering of the people, and above all looking forward to the solidarity of the Venezuelan people, is what fills us with hope at all times. There are many people who need us, many who are currently homeless... But we also know that we, as the Venezuelan people, know how to rise up, always in solidarity and with a sense of unity.” — Monsignor José Luis Azuaje, President of Caritas Venezuela

Long-Term Recovery and Economic Impact

The road to recovery will be long and costly. A preliminary satellite-based Rapid Digital Analysis by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) estimates direct economic losses at $6.7 billion. This figure accounts strictly for physical damage to homes, businesses, and infrastructure, signaling prolonged economic instability and job losses.

Transitioning to Phase Two

As immediate life-saving operations wrap up, Caritas is shifting its focus toward sustainable recovery. Early initiatives include distributing masonry kits and micro-cash payments to locals assisting with rubble clearance, alongside basic training in earthquake-resistant reconstruction.

“The first phase was about saving lives and drawing up the initial assessments. Now we’re entering the second phase. This is going to take a long time; it’s not something that ends today. That’s why we keep insisting that the aid cannot stop.” — Janeth Márquez, Executive Director of Caritas Venezuela

Compounding the Malnutrition Crisis

The earthquakes have struck a population already vulnerable to food insecurity. Prior to the disaster, official data indicated that 13.4% of Venezuelan children under five suffered from malnutrition—a figure well above the regional average.

Caritas Venezuela has long monitored this crisis through its "sentinel centers" and community nutrition networks, providing screening, anti-parasitic treatments, and therapeutic follow-up care. In the wake of the earthquakes, as families lose livelihoods and stable access to food, scaling up this nutritional pipeline is more critical than ever to protect the country's youngest survivors.