Venezuela's Deadliest Earthquake in a Century Exposes Failures in Emergency Response

'This is the worst disaster we’ve ever experienced,' said Ana Carballo, calm and holding her dog while in an improvised tent in Parque del Este. Venezuelans were confronting what may be the worst natural catastrophe in the last century, casting a deep shadow of grief and fear across the country and its diaspora. 'We survived something so big and devastating, we can only pray and feel blessed', Carballo said. 

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On 24 June, Venezuela was struck by two powerful earthquakes measuring magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, which hit within moments of each other, triggering Venezuela's worst seismic disaster in more than a century. The twin earthquakes affected six states, leaving widespread destruction across northern and central Venezuela and plunging thousands of families into uncertainty.

The capital, Caracas, suffered severe structural damage, with multiple buildings collapsing in the districts of Chacao and San Bernardino. Yet the devastation has been greatest in the coastal state of La Guaira, where entire neighbourhoods have been reduced to rubble in what survivors describe as an unprecedented catastrophe.

According to official figures, which could not be independently verified, approximately 100 buildings collapsed in La Guaira alone. Authorities have also reported 1,400 deaths, more than 3,000 injured people, and an estimated 61,000 individuals who remain missing and may still be trapped beneath the debris.

As rescue operations continue, criticism of the government's response has intensified. Firefighters, volunteer rescuers, first responders and residents in the hardest-hit communities accused authorities of failing to respond adequately to the emergency and, in some cases, actively obstructing rescue efforts.

Disaster unpreparedness

Venezuela is no stranger to seismic activity, with major earthquakes striking the northern region roughly every six decades, as noted by the 1967 and 1900 earthquakes. The country's central and northern regions are among its most earthquake-prone areas, making disaster preparedness a long-standing public responsibility. Critics argue that institutions should have been better equipped to enforce anti-seismic construction standards, implement prevention strategies, establish emergency protocols, and ensure the effective deployment of Civil Protection teams, firefighters, and rescue services in the immediate aftermath.

Instead, many believe the government's handling of the crisis has compounded the tragedy, turning what was already the country's most devastating natural disaster in a century into an even greater humanitarian emergency.

The first days after the earthquakes have become a particular focus of criticism. The government did not release official information for six hours following the catastrophe. When authorities finally addressed the nation, they reportedly failed to specify the full extent of the emergency or clarify how many states had been affected, leaving many Venezuelans searching for information through social media, relatives and volunteer networks, most of which have been blocked by the government itself: 'We have been working for days on end, searching through the rubble looking for our families. We saw a policeman show up, and he did it to take a selfie with a corpse', said Ana, a veterinarian from Caracas who is searching for her eight months pregnant cousin and her five-year-old nephew. 'People got so mad at him they started screaming at him to get out, that they are useless, disrespectful, and inhumane.' Ana hasn’t slept in days, and even though she knows her family is dead, she continues the search. 

Here to save lives

In La Guaira, where the destruction is most severe, volunteers say official rescue efforts have been uneven.

'I haven't seen their presence in Caribe, the area where I was working as a volunteer distributing food,' Juan Morales told FairPlanet via text message. 'Many buildings collapsed there, and there hasn't even been an official first review from rescuers of the area.'

A first responder who wishes to remain anonymous alleged that police forces have concentrated their presence in areas where government officials reside rather than assisting rescue operations across the wider disaster zone.

International rescue workers have also voiced concerns about what they describe as attempts to politicize humanitarian efforts. A member of Mexico's renowned Topos rescue brigade recounted during a press interview that a journalist encouraged him to publicly thank Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, while on air: 'I was very rude and made it clear that I'm here to save lives, not do political propaganda for a government,' the rescuer said.

Despite the official response, Venezuelan civil society mobilised almost immediately. Collection centres for food, medicine and essential supplies began operating even before the government issued its first official assessment of the catastrophe. Citizens, community organisations and volunteers coordinated donations, transportation and emergency assistance in an effort to reach the thousands of people left homeless.

The scale of public solidarity has been remarkable, reflecting what many Venezuelans describe as a society accustomed to responding collectively during times of crisis. However, authorities have since centralized the volunteer effort through a mandatory registration system established at a large events venue.

Across Venezuela, a vast grassroots relief effort has emerged in response to the disaster. Volunteers transformed banks, restaurants, stores, parks, and public spaces into donation centres and community kitchens serving survivors and rescue workers. Civil society also developed independent platforms to help locate missing people, attracting tens of thousands of reports and becoming a trusted alternative to official channels. People aren’t helping the state; they are doing what the state isn’t. 

Social media has played a central role in coordinating aid, connecting volunteers with initiatives ranging from damage mapping, home inspections and support for children separated from their families. Citizen-led groups have also created real-time maps of shelters, food distribution points, and damaged buildings to improve emergency response. Meanwhile, the Venezuelan diaspora has mobilised from abroad by sending food, medicine, and financial support, while mental health professionals have offered free counselling to those affected. People have even mobilized to rescue pets, provide veterinary care, and find homes for those animals whose owners are missing or have died. Together, these efforts highlight the remarkable organisation, solidarity, and resilience of Venezuelan society in the face of catastrophe.

Only accredited volunteers are permitted to travel to the disaster zone in La Guaira, a measure that the government said is intended to coordinate relief efforts and prevent overcrowding in affected areas. The registration requirement has forced volunteer organisations to centralize information, carefully schedule aid deliveries and adapt their operations to the new restrictions.

The government has also imposed limitations on media access. Journalists covering the disaster are reportedly only permitted to travel to La Guaira aboard buses organized by government authorities, restricting independent movement within the affected region.

How will Venezuela recover?

For many Venezuelans, these measures have become emblematic of a broader concern: that control over information and access has taken precedence over the urgency of rescue efforts.

As families continue searching for missing loved ones beneath collapsed buildings, the humanitarian crisis remains far from over. Thousands of people have been displaced, while countless others await news of relatives who have not been heard from since the earthquakes struck. 'The government's chaos is overwhelming,' Carol told FairPlanet. 'My son was seen alive in a hospital, but he appeared on the state's deceased list. How is this possible? We've looked in over 25 places — morgues, hospitals, even detention centres. He's nowhere to be found even though he survived the earthquake.'

The coming weeks will determine not only how Venezuela recovers from the physical destruction left by the earthquakes but also whether its institutions are capable of learning from a tragedy that has exposed profound weaknesses in disaster preparedness and emergency management.

For the survivors in La Guaira, Caracas and the other affected states, however, those institutional questions remain secondary to a far more immediate hope: that every remaining hour of rescue operations might still bring another life out from beneath the rubble. 'We won’t rest until we bring our people home. Dead or alive. We’ll find them and give them the dignity they deserve', said Ana, with hope of bringing closure to this disaster that upended our lives.