Photos: Inside Venezuela’s Devastation
Project HOPE is rushing relief to Venezuela after a pair of catastrophic earthquakes struck on June 24. See photos of our response and learn how you can help.
On the evening of June 24, 2026, a pair of deadly 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes struck in quick succession outside Caracas, Venezuela. The second earthquake was the most powerful to hit Venezuela in over a century.
One week later, death and injury tolls continue to climb as search-and-rescue operations endure. The damage is catastrophic, with thousands killed, injured, or still missing. In the most impacted areas, people are sleeping on the street, health facilities are operating without power, and hundreds of buildings have collapsed.
Project HOPE and our long-standing partner, SAMU, are conducting K-9 search-and-rescue operations and rushing relief to hospitals in need. As the race to locate survivors continues, Project HOPE-supported health workers are working around the clock to provide emergency care, with the full toll of the emergency yet to be known.
Nearly 8 million people in Venezuela — more than a quarter of the population — already needed humanitarian support before the earthquakes due to a complex humanitarian and financial crisis.
The earthquakes leveled at least 800 buildings, touching off not just an immediate emergency but also a looming displacement crisis that may last for years.
Frontline responders and affected families need support now as they rush to care for the injured, try to find stability, and process the unimaginable toll.
“Nothing prepares you for the earth violently turning against you… When the shaking finally stopped and we stepped outside, a thick cloud of dust hung over the city. The true scale of this tragedy is only now becoming clear.”
– César Jiménez, Program Manager
Within 48 hours, Project HOPE completed a rapid needs assessment, identifying critical gaps in the local health system that our teams are working quickly to fill so that health workers have what they need.
Project HOPE’s initial distributions included antibiotics, emergency supplies, disinfectants, and medical equipment to support health workers facing a rapid rise in patients.
Project HOPE’s priority moving forward is to save as many lives as possible, support families displaced by the damage, and stabilize the health system so people can continue to seek essential, lifesaving healthcare.
“It’s a race against the clock and against impossible odds. We need emergency, medical, and surgical supplies like trauma and major surgery kits. We need medical supplies, water purification tablets, WASH supplies, and psychological first aid kits for all the people that are going through this major crisis.”
– Claudia Manresa, Regional Legal & Compliance Manager
Project HOPE staff distribute medical supplies at Hospital José María Vargas in La Guaira. “[Hospitals] are operating way below what the immediate needs are,” said Carolina De Jesús, Project HOPE Program Director.
Project HOPE and SAMU begin operations in La Guaira. In addition to search and rescue, Project HOPE is also offering psychological first aid for survivors in hospitals awaiting word of missing family members.
Project HOPE’s assessment found that 64% of health facilities have been forced to suspend services and 29% report non-operational cold chain equipment, which impacts lifesaving medicines like insulin.
“What we’re looking at is destroyed infrastructure, destroyed roads, and healthcare facilities that have been damaged or destroyed. The short-term effects of that are going to be people who cannot access care. It’s going to be a disaster of epic proportions.”
– Chessa Latifi, Deputy Director of Preparedness & Response
Gio, a search and rescue dog with our partner, SAMU, in La Guaira. “A highly developed and well-trained sense of smell saves lives,” said Juan Hidalgo Martínez, SAMU’s Canine Instructor. “The contribution of K-9 units is essential.”
“We are doing our best as Venezuelans to support our people,” said César Jiménez, Project HOPE Program Manager. “This is a unique moment in our history. Nobody saw this coming, and we need a lot of support.”
Project HOPE has been providing critical humanitarian assistance inside Venezuela since 2019, reaching 1.2 million people and providing over 339,000 medical consultations in 2025 alone.
Photos by Ernesto Constante and Project HOPE staff, 2026.
How You Can Help
The earthquakes in Venezuela have displaced many people and worsened a humanitarian catastrophe that impacts women, children, families, and entire communities made vulnerable by this crisis. If you want to help, here’s how you can get involved:
1. Make a lifesaving gift to support our work now and for the future.
2. Interested in an employee giving campaign for Venezuela? Please contact us — we are happy to help.
3. Stay up-to-date on this story and our lifesaving work around the world by following us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and X/Twitter, and help spread the word about our response.
4. Fundraise for Venezuela by streaming on Tiltify to raise money for Project HOPE. If you’re a content creator, you can start a charity stream on Tiltify to Stream for HOPE and raise funds for Project HOPE’s mission. Tag us on social @projectHOPEorg to let us know about your charity stream so we can thank you!
Volunteering: At this time, we are not seeking volunteers to deploy to our response in Venezuela. This is an ongoing response and needs may change. We encourage interested parties to submit an application with our volunteer emergency response database and we will reach out if your specialty is requested.
