On June 24, 2026, two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela within seconds of each other, collapsing buildings across Caracas and the surrounding region. Nearly 18,000 individuals and families lost their homes, while thousands more remain in temporary shelters, uncertain whether their homes will ever be safe to live in again.
In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, local churches, community organizations and volunteers provided critical support. Two months later, the response continues as damage assessments move forward and local partners identify the support communities will need for long-term recovery.
Below is a look at what CWS and local partners are seeing two months after the earthquakes, how communities are responding and what continued support can help make possible.
The Lasting Impacts of the Earthquakes
Two months after the earthquakes, many communities are still grappling with challenges that extend far beyond the initial emergency. While relief efforts helped address immediate needs, the impacts on livelihoods, housing and vulnerable populations continue to shape daily life and long-term recovery.
Livelihoods: In addition to infrastructure damage, the earthquakes created another major challenge for families: earning an income. Tourism slowed, fishing activities were disrupted and small businesses lost customers. Hotels, service industries, transportation hubs and other employers experienced declines in activity. Even when families did not lose their homes, many lost the income they depended on to meet daily needs. Families struggling to earn a living may face difficult decisions about food, transportation, health care and education, while others are supporting displaced loved ones with the same, or even fewer, resources than before.
Housing: More than 23,000 people remained displaced one month after the disaster, with tens of thousands more affected by damaged infrastructure and lost shelter. Across Venezuela, professional organizations, universities and engineers are helping communities assess damage and plan for recovery. Their work helps families better understand risks and identify practical next steps, from repairs to longer-term rebuilding efforts. Because the damage is so widespread, many structures still need to be evaluated. Inspecting buildings takes time, leaving many households in limbo and unable to make informed decisions about their next steps. CWS has built relationships with Venezuelan technical organizations and is supporting their work through specialized tools and resources that can help communities recover safely.
Heightening Existing Vulnerabilities: For vulnerable individuals, disasters often compound existing challenges and create new barriers to safety, recovery and well-being. In the aftermath of the earthquakes, children, people with disabilities and older adults, among other groups, faced heightened challenges in accessing information, registering for support and reaching assistance programs. Vulnerable populations face some of the greatest challenges in receiving support and rebuilding their livelihoods, despite these barriers often going unnoticed.
The Importance of Local Support
When the earthquakes struck, communities did not start from zero. Long before outside assistance arrived, many local organizations, youth leaders and women’s groups were already helping neighbors access food, water, medical care, information and psychosocial support.
Their ability to act quickly was made possible by relationships built long before the disaster occurred. Local organizations know which neighborhoods have become isolated, which families have lost income and which communities have already received assistance, helping ensure support reaches gaps rather than duplicating services already being provided.
CWS is supporting local partners as relief efforts transition into long-term recovery and working alongside organizations to better understand changing conditions and where support can have the greatest impact. These efforts demonstrate an important reality of disaster response: the people closest to a crisis are often the best-equipped to act.
Local organizations bring more than resources. They bring trust, relationships and a deep sense of the communities they serve. They know local leaders, understand community dynamics and can identify needs that may not be immediately visible to outside responders.
During assessments conducted after the earthquakes, CWS met organizations with strong community roots, years of experience and a commitment to supporting their neighbors. At the same time, many of these groups face practical challenges as the response continues. Limited staffing, transportation, equipment and funding can make it difficult to sustain recovery efforts over the long term.
Effective recovery is not about replacing the work already happening in Venezuela; it is about supporting the people, organizations and professionals leading that work every day.
Perspective on the Ground: Listening First in La Guaira
Rosemberg Parra once knew La Guaira, Venezuela, for the beautiful beaches he visited as a tourist. But when he returned years later as a CWS consultant, everything had changed. Buildings he once used as landmarks had been destroyed. “I didn’t recognize the places,” he recalled. “There was rubble everywhere, heavy machinery and people moving in every direction.”
As Rosemberg met with community organizations, churches and grassroots groups, he realized the response had begun long before international assistance arrived. Local volunteers and organizations had already mobilized resources, supported families and sustained recovery efforts with what they had available.
“The community was the first responder,” Rosemberg said. “When you’re there, speaking with people who still need support, you gain a completely different understanding.”
His experience reinforced the importance of listening to local communities. In the weeks after the earthquakes, hundreds of people arrived from Caracas with clothing, food and candy for children, but a local doctor told Rosemberg she was treating children for diarrhea and other gastrointestinal illnesses linked to excessive consumption of sweets. He reflected, “Sometimes we don’t stop to truly listen to what people feel they need most.”
Rosemberg’s assessment found that local actors already possess deep community knowledge, trusted relationships, volunteer networks and professional expertise. What moved him most was not only the destruction he witnessed, but the determination of communities that have sustained the response from day one. Despite profound losses, people continue to organize, support one another and rebuild their lives.
How CWS is Responding
CWS is providing funding and support to local partners already leading the response, including structural assessment work with the Foundation for Professional Development of the College of Engineers of Venezuela and communications support with the Lutheran World Federation.
We are prioritizing the most vulnerable families and communities in the following ways:
- Supporting Safe Housing: Equipping local volunteer engineers with protective gear and tools to assess damaged homes, apartment buildings and community infrastructure so families know whether it is safe to return.
- Strengthening Local Responders: Providing direct funding to local organizations and churches already sheltering, feeding and caring for survivors.
- Helping Communities Recover: Supporting Venezuelan churches and community organizations as they help vulnerable families rebuild, small businesses reopen and communities prepare for future disasters.
But the work isn’t over. Through conversations with local actors and affected communities, several areas emerged where additional support could help strengthen recovery, including mental health and community well-being, protection and coordination among stakeholders.
For CWS, all response efforts are grounded in community-identified needs that strengthen the capacities already driving recovery forward.
How You Can Help
The earthquakes that struck Venezuela left families facing damaged homes, displacement, loss of livelihoods and ongoing challenges that extend beyond the immediate emergency.
Donate today to help bring hope and support to communities on the path to recovery.
All funds raised will support the CWS Emergency Response Fund, enabling resources to be directed wherever they are needed most, including the earthquake response in Venezuela and other humanitarian emergencies worldwide.