After the Venezuela Earthquakes: How the Church is Responding

For Ariadna Rodriguez, June 24, 2026, was supposed to be an ordinary day. Instead, it was a day that ended in disaster.

While enjoying time with her husband and infant at Bolívar Square in central Caracas, Venezuela, she began to feel the ground shaking below her feet. Looking up at the sky, she saw birds flying out of the trees and off of buildings. Then she saw people running. 

That’s when she realized they were experiencing an earthquake.

Crisis in Venezuela

That day, across Caracas and the surrounding regions of Venezuela, an unprecedented disaster struck: two back-to-back earthquakes rattled across the area just seconds apart, marking the country’s strongest seismic event in more than a century.

Now, more than one month later, thousands of people like Ariadna continue to face an urgent crisis. Current reports indicate that more than 6,000 people have lost their lives, while the UN estimates that as many as 50,000 people may still be missing beneath the rubble or remain unaccounted for. 

What’s more, over 23,000 people remain displaced, many living in temporary shelters or with host families as they seek safety in a country already facing significant political and economic challenges. 

Access to safe drinking water, sanitation and essential healthcare remains severely disrupted, increasing the risk of disease outbreaks and placing additional strain on communities facing immense hardship. According to an International Rescue Committee assessment, just 1,038 healthcare workers are available to serve a population of more than 1.7 million people affected by the earthquakes in Caracas, Miranda and La Guaira. Hospitals continue to operate under extraordinary pressure and humanitarian responders expect the emergency phase to continue for months. 

Across the affected region, countless families are grieving unimaginable loss and facing an uncertain future.    

The Venezuela Earthquakes: How the Church is Responding

In moments of profound loss, we are reminded that God is near to the brokenhearted. Compelled by the love of Christ, World Relief has responded by mobilizing alongside local churches and trusted partners to deliver lifesaving assistance while walking with individuals, families and communities through the long journey of recovery. 

Soon after the earthquake, Ariadna and her family got connected with Baptist World Aid and the National Baptist Convention of Venezuela — our local partners responding on the front lines in the aftermath of the earthquake. Through these local partners and the generosity of World Relief supporters, families like Ariadna’s living in the hardest-hit communities in La Guaira, Capital District (Caracas) and Aragua have received vital, life-saving assistance. Together, we are reaching 1,300 families with emergency food baskets, hygiene kits, essential medicines, safe drinking water and other critical relief supplies. 

To help address urgent water needs, four water purification systems, each capable of producing 1,000 liters of safe drinking water per day, are being installed in affected communities. Together, these systems will provide clean drinking water to approximately 250 families each day, helping reduce the risk of waterborne disease and ensuring reliable access to safe water throughout the emergency response. 

In addition, in response to growing health needs, World Relief has partnered with International Health Partners to prepare a shipment to deploy needed supplies such as Essential Health Packs (EHPs), portable pharmacies stocked with primary healthcare medicines. Local teams will use these supplies to address critical shortages and support treatment for dehydration, diarrheal disease, respiratory illnesses, skin infections and other urgent health concerns, while equipping local providers to care for those experiencing trauma, grief and loss. 

“It is a truly noble gesture on your part to help us and so many others in need, and I am sincerely filled with joy because of it,” Ariadna said. “The Bible says that whoever gives to the poor lends to the Lord, and by helping those in need, you are giving to the Lord Himself. God is the One who will multiply your generosity and bless you abundantly. Your kindness is not in vain.” 

Why Long-Term Support Matters

As the response continues, World Relief is expanding partnerships with churches and humanitarian organizations working in Venezuela to ensure assistance reaches those who need it most. In the United States, we are also caring for Venezuelan families who are anxiously awaiting news from loved ones in the affected areas. Through pastoral care, case management and community support, we are standing alongside those impacted by this disaster, both in Venezuela and among the Venezuelan diaspora. 

But this is not work that we can do alone—it takes the entire church to walk alongside those in crisis. Across Venezuela, inside the U.S. and around the world, families are being forced to flee their homes because of crises. Whether that be because of an earthquake, war or economic instability, families are losing their homes. 

As World Relief responds to these crises alongside the church, your generosity can help provide lifesaving assistance today while bringing hope to communities as they begin to rebuild. Your monthly partnership will ensure families like Ariadna’s get support for the long haul — from the earliest days after a disaster throughout the long journey of rebuilding. 

Consider a monthly gift today to meet urgent needs, both in Venezuela and around the world. Will you join us?