Samaritan’s Purse Working in Venezuela After Quakes
Our teams are treating the injured and sick and providing relief supplies to hurting families in La Guaira.
- Five airlifts from North Carolina to Venezuela have carried nearly 500,000 pounds of relief materials.
- Nearly 1,000 patients have come through our Emergency Field Hospital. The surgical team has performed dozens of emergency procedures.
- Shelter kits, solar lights, and hygiene items are being distributed through church partners, and we are providing clean water through community filtration systems.
- Our team has also distributed more than 170 large, heavy-duty tents as temporary shelter for displaced families.
Samaritan's Purse has been responding to the hard-hit city of La Guaira after powerful earthquakes toppled large buildings across the region, killing more than 3,600 Venezuelans. Tens of thousands of people are still unaccounted for.
The quakes left at least 16,000 people with injuries. More than 18,000 Venezuelans are displaced.
Since June 27, we have made multiple 767 flights to deliver life-saving supplies to the Latin American nation. We've established two clean-water points in the city and families have so far collected nearly 53,000 liters of clean drinking water through our desalinization systems. The need for clean water is great and continues to grow.
Nearly 1,000 patients have received care at our Emergency Field Hospital, which opened on June 30. These cases include more than 55 surgeries.
The hospital is capable of treating more than 100 patients each day and is equipped with two operating rooms, a critical care unit, pharmacy, and laboratory.
In addition to clean water and medical care, our teams are providing emergency shelter material, solar lights, and blankets. We continue to construct heavy-duty family tents for use as reliable, long-term temporary shelters. More than 170 of these tents are in place and being occupied and many more are expected in the coming days.
More than 160 Samaritan's Purse Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) members are on the ground and are working alongside a network of local churches who understand the needs and are able to distribute relief as we continue serving so many hurting Venezuelans in Jesus' Name. Please continue to lift up these people, the churches, and our teams in your prayers.
Strongest Quakes in a Century
Back-to-back earthquakes rocked Venezuela within a minute of each other on June 24. Both tremors measured over 7.0 in magnitude; the second quake reached 7.5, making it the strongest to hit the country in over a century. Aftershocks continue, complicating search-and-rescue and relief efforts.
Hospitals in the hardest hit areas were strained before the quake, and now dozens are damaged and overwhelmed with people in desperate need of care.
“We plan on being there for some time. The need is huge. Multiple hospitals are damaged or overwhelmed, roads have been split wide open, and hundreds of buildings have collapsed. People are living on the streets—terrified of aftershocks. They need our prayers,” said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse. “It's heartbreaking to see the suffering and loss. We love the people of this country, and we want to do all that we can to help in Jesus' Name.”
Please continue to pray for residents of Venezuela, especially around La Guaira and Caracas. Pray for our response team and for their boldness while serving as the hands and feet of Jesus.
Photos
A young patient treated for an injured leg enjoys blowing bubbles with one of our staff.
The surgical team performs an orthopedic repair on a patient's injured leg at the Emergency Field Hospital.
Residents are grateful to have shelter from the elements after the late June earthquakes, followed by hundreds of tremors, that destroyed homes or made them unsafe. Samaritan's Purse is providing tents and shelter kits to Venezuelans. Many thousands of are still displaced.
A local woman tidies up inside the tent provided to her and her family by Samaritan's Purse.
Patients are coming from all over the devastated city to our Emergency Field Hospital. Local medical systems have been crippled and overwhelmed since the earthquakes.
We are providing shelter supplies such as tarps, blankets, and solar lights as thousands of Venezuelans are still displaced from their homes in La Guaira.
Our Emergency Field Hospital is providing medical care to Venezuelans, with a capacity for treating 100 patients a day. This includes emergency surgeries.
Venezuelans face a long recovery after two back-to-back earthquakes struck the city of La Guaira.
Structures, including apartments, were damaged or destroyed.
