Venezuela Earthquake Acute Crisis Joint Response

Information

On 24 June, Venezuela was hit by two powerful earthquakes (7.2 and 7.5 magnitude), the strongest in more than a century. As rescue operations and assessments continued, it became clear that the damage was extensive.

Many homes were damaged or destroyed, forcing families to stay in temporary shelters, open spaces, or with relatives. The earthquakes also disrupted essential services such as electricity, water, healthcare, and transport. Hospitals received large numbers of injured people, while many survivors—including children—are experiencing fear, stress, and grief and need mental health support.

People in the affected areas urgently need food, safe drinking water, hygiene supplies, basic household items, and emergency shelter. Families who rely on daily wages, small businesses, or informal work have been particularly affected, making it harder for them to meet their basic needs.

The disaster has also increased protection concerns, including reports of children separated from their families, highlighting the need for child protection and family reunification support.

The Joint Response

The Joint Response will be a multi-sectoral emergency response implemented in Caracas Capital District, La Guaira and Miranda, which are among the hardest hit states, focusing on areas with the highest humanitarian needs.

The activities carried out under this Joint Response are the following:

• Food Security and Livelihoods: Provision of multiple rounds of in-kind emergency food assistance, including ready-to-eat food and non-perishable food kits, to earthquake-affected households that have limited access to food.
• WASH: Delivery of safe (drinking) water through water trucking, storage and distribution infrastructure, household water treatment and storage items, hygiene kit distributions, hygiene promotion activities, and water quality monitoring.
• Health: Provision of primary healthcare, trauma care, essential medicines and medical supplies, maternal and child health services, health promotion, referrals, and mental health and psychosocial support through fixed facilities and mobile teams.
• Shelter/NFI: Distribution of emergency shelter materials, tools, and essential household items to support displaced and earthquake-affected households in restoring safe and dignified living conditions.
• Protection: Delivery of psychosocial support, case management, child protection and gender-based violence related interventions, family tracing and reunification, legal and referral assistance, safe spaces for children, dignity kit distributions, and community awareness activities on protection risks and prevention.

The JR is planning to reach 36.461 people during this response.