Earthquake in Venezuela : SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL mobilizes

7 August 2026 

In Urimare, La Guaira state, families displaced by the disaster have found refuge on the grounds of Carlos Escarrà National School. While some have lost their homes entirely, others have had to leave homes which are simply too fragile to live in as aftershocks continue to jolt the region. Rows of tents now stand by the school, and just beyond them, the wreckage of collapsed and damaged buildings is visible. 

One of these tents is home to Gabriela and her husband, who have lived in this neighborhood of Urimare for 14 years. Before the earthquakes, she played a big part in her community, leading the congregation at her church. Ever since the disaster, people living at the site have continued to turn to her for leadership. She works closely with SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL, helping to coordinate their activities on site and identifying people with specific needs during distributions. 

At the school, SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL teams have been trucking in water, installing and chlorinating a water tank, as well as handing out mosquito nets, insect repellent, and pallets to keep tents off the wet ground. 

 “Before, we were only given small bottles of water. But since you installed the tank, we have access to water all the time,” says Gabriela. “In this camp, SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL has really helped us.”  

24 July 2026 

One month after the earthquake that devastated northern Venezuela, aid efforts are being organized in line with changing needs. 

Indeed, the disaster did not merely destroy homes. It also plunged thousands of families into hardship by depriving them of their jobs, their livelihoods, and their sources of income. Our teams have therefore directed assistance towards these indirect victims, who are no longer able to provide for themselves. 

For those who have had to leave their homes, the weather is creating new challenges. It is the rainy season, and thousands of people are living in tents that are vulnerable to water infiltration. As a response, SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL is distributing pallets to ensure people and their belongings are elevated above ground level. The season also brings a considerable number of mosquitoes, for which our teams are providing mosquito nets and insect spray, helping families to cope with increasingly difficult living conditions. 

While emergency assistance remains essential, SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL is also looking to longer term measures. Our teams will be setting up jerrycan disinfection points and conducting hygiene promotion sessions on safe water storage. They also plan to support waste management and community clean-up activities, and to raise awareness on maintaining the cleanliness of temporary toilets. These efforts will help reduce the risk of disease and promote safer living conditions for affected communities.

SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL is distributing pallets to raise tents off the ground. 22 July 2026. (© SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL)

From the first days following the disaster, SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL has been present. Our teams have been delivering safe water through water trucking, installing storage tanks, and chlorinating community water sources to help prevent the spread of disease. 

In parallel, they have improved sanitation conditions by installing gender-segregated toilets in displacement sites and provided hygiene kits adapted to the needs of each household, including babies, women and people with specific needs, such as elderly people.  

15 July 2026 

The community of Brisas de Maiquetía, in the state of La Guaira, has been severely affected by the earthquakes which struck northern Venezuela three weeks ago. SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL is on the ground supporting families as they face the difficult realities of recovery. A first distribution carried out on 2 July benefited 140 households. On 11 July, our teams distributed essential hygiene assistance to another 317 households, an estimated 1,430 people. 

The distribution included personal hygiene kits, menstrual hygiene supplies for 378 women and girls, diapers for 71 infants, and adult diapers for 24 older people. These items allow families to address urgent health and sanitation needs as they continue to recover from the disaster. 

Community leader Raymis Cazorla in Brisas de Maiquetía, 11 July (© SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL) 

For many residents, the challenges are far from over. Damaged homes, limited access to water, poor sanitation conditions, and the loss of livelihoods continue to affect daily life. Community leader Raymis Cazorla lost five family members in the earthquake and is currently living in a tent due to severe damage to his building. He highlighted the importance of the support provided:  

Everything you have brought has helped us enormously because there are people here with very limited resources who have no way of obtaining these items on their own.

As recovery efforts continue, access to these essential items is providing much-needed relief as communities begin the long road to recovery. 

Community leader Raymis Cazorla in Brisas de Maiquetía, 11 July (© SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL) 

7 July 2026 

Almost two weeks after the earthquakes that devastated northern Venezuela, the death toll now stands at 3,535, with 16,740 people injured. Hundreds of buildings have been destroyed or damaged, leaving thousands of families homeless. Displaced people are flocking to shelters, where SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL teams are working tirelessly to continue distributing hygiene kits and water. 

© SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL 

At a temporary shelter in Caracas, SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL is carrying out rapid needs assessments amongst those affected. 

© SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL 

In Catia la Mar, one of the towns hardest hit by the earthquakes, SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL teams are delivering water by tanker.

© SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL 

Water is being supplied to 500 households by water tanker in Vista al Mar, in the Catia la Mar area of La Guaira State. In this isolated area, residents rely heavily on the commercial district of Catia la Mar – which has been particularly hard hit by the earthquakes – to meet their needs. Since the earthquake, many residents have lost their jobs and no longer have access to food or water. 

© SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL 

The state of La Guaira was the worst-affected area. There are now 350 households living in tents in Maiquetía, a coastal town, where SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL is supplying residents with water via water tankers.

© SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL 

 Distribution of essential hygiene items by SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL on 2 July in Maiquetía. 

2 July 2026 

One week after the double earthquake, the death toll has risen to 2,295, with more than 11,000 injured and tens of thousands of people still missing.

In the worst-hit areas, notably the states of La Guaira and Carabobo as well as the capital, Caracas, hundreds of collapsed buildings have trapped residents beneath the rubble. Rescue teams are working tirelessly to find any survivors, but hope is fading. 

© SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL 

In an already extremely fragile humanitarian context, thousands of people have been left homeless, without electricity and without access to safe drinking water. Whilst many families have found shelter in temporary accommodation or relief centers, water, hygiene, and sanitation needs continue to grow. 

SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL’s teams are hard at work: they are distributing hygiene kits containing soap, sanitary products, hand sanitizer, nappies and other essential items. They are also carrying out assessments of water systems, particularly in health centers, and have begun supplying water via water tankers.   

“The situation is critical. The affected communities are in urgent need of drinking water, electricity, food and sanitation facilities, such as showers and toilets.” explains Alain Coutand.   

25 June 2026 

Shortly after 6 pm on 24 June 2026, two powerful earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale, struck north-western Venezuela in quick succession. The tremors, which were felt as far away as Bogotá in Colombia, are the strongest to have hit the country in over a century. The provisional death toll stands at 164, with over 1,000 injured, but according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the human toll is likely to be much higher.