Venezuela was shaken by one of the worst natural disasters in its modern history on the evening of Wednesday, June 24, when two powerful earthquakes struck less than a minute apart - a magnitude 7.2 near the town of San Felipe, followed 39 seconds later by a stronger magnitude 7.5 near Yumare, both west of the capital, Caracas.
The USGS confirmed it as the strongest seismic event to hit Venezuela in over a century. The timing made it even more heartbreaking - Wednesday was a national holiday, meaning most families were home together when the ground began to shake.
As of Thursday, June 25, at least 188 people have been confirmed dead, more than 1,520 injured, and 157 are still missing.
Over 200 people remain trapped beneath the rubble of roughly 250 collapsed or damaged buildings, with nearly 3,000 families directly impacted.
The Church did not wait. Samaritan's Purse has deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team and is airlifting an Emergency Field Hospital, along with shelter tarps, solar lights, blankets, and water filters to affected areas.
Franklin Graham urged Christians everywhere to pray - for rescue operations, for first responders, and for all who are injured or grieving. "Pray for our response team and for their boldness while serving as the hands and feet of Jesus," the organization wrote.
The US, Mexico, Spain, Qatar, and the UN are sending humanitarian aid. Two elite search and rescue teams from Fairfax County, Virginia, and Los Angeles County have been activated, with the Fairfax team alone deploying 80 personnel, six search dogs, and nearly 70,000 pounds of rescue equipment.
Venezuela's people are suffering. We ask our everyone to lift them up in prayer today - and if you feel called to give, Samaritan's Purse is actively responding at samaritanspurse.org.
Lord, be near to the brokenhearted in Venezuela today. Amen.
