{"id":228416,"date":"2026-06-26T02:37:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T02:37:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/228416\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T02:37:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T02:37:10","slug":"venezuelan-community-in-philadelphia-on-edge-mobilizing-aid-after-deadly-earthquakes-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/228416\/","title":{"rendered":"Venezuelan community in Philadelphia on edge, mobilizing aid after deadly earthquakes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Members of Philadelphia’s tight-knit Venezuelan community are anxiously monitoring developments in their home country after two powerful earthquakes destroyed buildings<\/a> and claimed lives, leaving many worried about loved ones and beginning efforts to help from afar.<\/p>\n

The first earthquake struck around 6 p.m. in Venezuela, setting off an uneasy 24 hours for Venezuelans living in Philadelphia. Since then, many have been closely following coverage while trying to reach family members and assess the damage.<\/p>\n

Startling images from Venezuela have shaken viewers worldwide, but for those with direct ties to the country, the impact has been especially personal.<\/p>\n

“It has been very heartbreaking and shocking for sure,” said Valentina Viana, a Venezuelan native now living in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

READ MORE | How to help victims of deadly Venezuela earthquakes<\/a><\/p>\n

Juan Giarrizzo, another Venezuelan native in the city, described the immediate emotional response shared by many in the community.<\/p>\n

“The first reaction for many of us is fear, concern,” Giarrizzo said.<\/p>\n

Both Viana and Giarrizzo said they spent a sleepless night watching the aftermath unfold and attempting to contact loved ones.<\/p>\n

“Basically waking up, almost awake almost all night,” Viana said.<\/p>\n

“Luckily, I have been able to contact my family. They are all OK,” Giarrizzo added.<\/p>\n

RELATED | Venezuelans search rubble for survivors after 2 strong earthquakes kill at least 188<\/a><\/p>\n

At least 188 people have died, 1,500 people were injured and thousands were reported missing after a pair of powerful earthquakes rocked Venezuela.<\/p>\n

The city where Viana’s family lives was not impacted by the earthquakes.<\/p>\n

The back-to-back earthquakes, with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, caused widespread damage, toppling high-rise buildings in the capital city of Caracas and damaging parts of the city’s airport.<\/p>\n

Viana said the destruction is even more devastating given the country’s existing challenges, which include governmental transition and instability.<\/p>\n

“We are not prepared or ready for everyday life, let alone a natural disaster,” she said.<\/p>\n

The scale of the crisis has prompted local Venezuelans to begin organizing support efforts. Giarrizzo, a board member of the local non-profit organization Gente de Venezuela, said the group is evaluating how best to assist.<\/p>\n

“We’re going to try to act as liaison between those who are here concerned about their family and those who are on the ground who can provide information,” Giarrizzo said.<\/p>\n

Immediate needs are still being assessed, but organizers anticipate that resources such as tools for search-and-rescue teams will be critical.<\/p>\n

Viana emphasized the importance of donating through legitimate channels. She says the I Love Venezuela Foundation is a reliable organization to give donations. Through a GoFundMe<\/a>, the organization raised more than $1 million in less than 24 hours to help with recovery efforts in Venezuela.<\/p>\n

“It’s international, and it’s official. It’s the most reliable that we have,” she said.<\/p>\n

As the community grapples with the emotional toll of the disaster, many are focused on finding ways to support those impacted back home.<\/p>\n

They are doing what they can, from Philadelphia, to help the country they love in the aftermath of two devastating earthquakes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Members of Philadelphia’s tight-knit Venezuelan community are anxiously monitoring developments in their home country after two powerful earthquakes…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":228417,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[79110,98962,69,71,70,98961,31344],"class_list":["post-228416","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-philadelphia","tag-earthquakes","tag-giarrizzo","tag-philadelphia","tag-philadelphia-headlines","tag-philadelphia-news","tag-valentina-viana","tag-venezuela"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228416","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228416"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228416\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/228417"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228416"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228416"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228416"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}