Urgent Humanitarian Situation Following Venezuela Earthquakes

Project HOPE is providing search-and-rescue operations, medical care, clean water, and health and hygiene supplies following the catastrophic twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24, 2026.

The earthquakes caused widespread destruction centered in La Guaira and Caracas, claiming at least 1,943 lives and injuring over 10,000 people, with the death toll expected to rise given more than 46,600 are reportedly still missing. 1.8 million people are in immediate need of humanitarian assistance, and health facilities are operating well beyond capacity, while facing severe structural damage and crippling utility failures.

“The scale of destruction in Venezuela is immense, and the humanitarian need is growing by the hour as search-and-rescue operations continue,” said Carolina De Jesús, Executive Director of Project HOPE in Venezuela. “We are providing humanitarian assistance to people who are displaced and without shelter or access to water, and supporting hospitals in critical areas like La Guaira, Distrito Capital, and Miranda that are operating below what the immediate needs are. We are also providing psychological first aid to families and patients experiencing this moment of extreme distress and trauma.”

Project HOPE is currently on the ground executing a multi-sectoral emergency response across the hardest hit states, focusing on the following:

• Search-&-Rescue: Conducting K-9 and drone search-and-rescue operations in the Catia la Mar and Tanaguarena areas of La Guaira, the state hardest hit by the quakes.

• Medical Care: Supporting 14 health centers and delivering critical medical supplies and equipment across three affected states to alleviate the strain on overwhelmed local facilities.

• Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH): Ensuring access to clean water and hygiene supplies for displaced and affected populations and health facilities by delivering 10,000 liters of potable water, distributing water purification tablets and hygiene kits, and equipping health centers with WASH and Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) supplies.

• Mental Health: Providing psychological first aid to affected communities to help individuals navigate severe stress, grief, and trauma.

Project HOPE has been working in Venezuela since 2019, strengthening access to health services, medicines, and health education, while supporting local health workers and community-based responses to humanitarian needs. Project HOPE has a team of over 100 within Venezuela, and additional Project HOPE emergency response teams have deployed to support the most urgent health and humanitarian needs.

Access photos here. Read the latest situation report here. See our rapid needs assessment report here.

Interviews are available upon request. For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact media@projecthope.org.