Two months after powerful earthquakes struck north-central Venezuela, thousands of families are still living with uncertainty. While the buildings that collapsed captured immediate attention, many of the toughest questions now surround the structures that remain standing. Support from the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), the United Church of Christ’s Global HOPE and Church World Service (CWS) helps engineers from the College of Engineers of Venezuela to assist affected communities. They are helping families assess risks, make informed decisions and take the next steps toward recovery.
“There were buildings where people had dreams, businesses, homes and futures,” Reyes remembered. “In about 39 seconds, some lost everything.”
The destruction led him to reflect on how quickly life can change, but it also reshaped how he approached his work as a volunteer engineer. After seeing what had been lost, every structure that remained standing took on a new meaning.
The Question Families Ask First
While collapsed buildings were tragically beyond saving, thousands of other properties remained in a state of uncertainty. Was a crack in the wall cosmetic or dangerous? Could occupants return safely? Would a site require repair, reinforcement or demolition?
For many households, the future depends on the answers. “The uncertainty creates fear,” Reyes explained. “We tell them the truth. But we also help them understand that recovery is possible.”
Since the earthquake, Reyes has helped lead a nationwide effort led by the College of Engineers of Venezuela, working alongside volunteer engineers, university faculty and students, professional associations and public institutions to assess damaged buildings and help communities recover.
During the first phase of the response, hundreds of volunteer engineers, architects, students and technical specialists evaluated structures that remained standing after the quake. The goal was simple but urgent: determine whether residents could safely return home.
To provide those answers, teams classified buildings according to their condition. Some received green labels, indicating they could be safely occupied. Others received yellow labels, meaning they could be used with restrictions while further studies were conducted. Sites with severe damage or significant risks were marked red, signaling the need for closer review and protective measures.
“When we enter a building, we’re not entering a structure. We’re entering someone’s home.”
8,959 engineers, architects and advanced students volunteered to be part of the brigades from the College of Engineers of Venezuela, of which 3,925 volunteers participated in 243 brigades that covered 482 zones and inspected 11,554 structures. Of those assessed, 75% were deemed habitable (8,660); 13% require restricted use (1,555); 10% were classified as unsafe (1,120) and 2% remain under evaluation (219).
More Than an Engineering Assessment
The first phase helped thousands of households understand the immediate condition of their homes and gave authorities critical information for emergency response and recovery planning.
Now, two months after the earthquakes, many of the properties flagged during the initial reviews require advanced structural studies to determine whether they can be repaired, rehabilitated or strengthened. Unlike the rapid checks conducted right after the disaster, these evaluations call for specialized expertise, technical instruments and detailed analysis.
For families with limited economic resources, accessing that information can be difficult. Yet without those studies, they remain trapped between uncertainty and recovery.
Turning Solidarity into Solutions
To help address that challenge, CWS, with financial support from the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) and the United Church of Christ’s Global HOPE, recently delivered specialized equipment to the Foundation for Professional Development of the College of Engineers of Venezuela.
The equipment will support that second phase, focused on the roughly one in four properties flagged yellow or red during the initial round, helping local engineers detect hidden structural damage, analyze conditions and develop recommendations for repair, rehabilitation and reinforcement.
For Reyes, however, the equipment represents more than a technical resource: “Our objective is to use these tools in a completely supportive and solidarity-based way,” he added. “For the families who haven’t been able to return to their homes, these aren’t just studies; they are peace of mind and mental health support.”
The Foundation is currently training engineers in the proper use and calibration of the instruments, preparing them to deploy the equipment where it’s needed most, particularly among households that might otherwise be unable to access these services on their own.
Support comes at a critical time. Demand for advanced evaluations continues to grow, while the pool of professionals with specialized training in structural pathology and earthquake damage assessment remains limited.
Recovery Beyond Concrete and Steel
The Venezuela earthquakes damaged homes, schools, hospitals, churches and businesses. Rebuilding will take years and require sustained collaboration across sectors. But for many households, the journey forward begins with something much smaller: a conversation, an inspection and a trusted professional explaining what comes next.
Throughout the response, Reyes has been reminded that recovery is not only about repairing buildings. It is also about people choosing to support one another in difficult moments. “The most important thing right now is the human being,” he concluded. “The family.”
That spirit of solidarity is what allows recovery to move forward. Thanks to support from UMCOR, UCC Global Hope and CWS, local engineers now have additional tools to help households understand the condition of their homes, make informed decisions and begin rebuilding their lives.
For thousands of Venezuelan families still waiting to return home, the question of whether their home is safe is slowly giving way to an answer: with time, care and solidarity, it can be safe again.
To learn more about CWS’s ongoing response efforts to the Venezuela earthquakes, or to make a contribution, click here.