Venezuelans in the United States are trying to organize aid after the devastating earthquake

DORAL, Fla. (AP) — Venezuelans in the United States rushed to organize donation drives Thursday after devastating earthquakes that officials say killed at least 188 people and injured hundreds more in their homeland. The US government and other countries have also pledged to provide assistance.

Oscar Torres and thousands of others have spent the past 24 hours following a wave of messages posted on a WhatsApp group connecting people in Venezuela with their families. He lives in Doral, Florida, a city outside Miami that is home to the largest Venezuelan population in the United States.

“This morning, I was watching the group in Doral and everyone was sharing — money, medicine, water. First, the necessary items. They’re talking about making the first shipment of ASA,” said Torres, a sales manager who moved to the United States from Venezuela in 1995.

In Washington, the Trump administration said it would send $150 million to support relief efforts by aid groups and the United Nations, according to a press release from the US State Department.

At the same time, the US government was mobilizing a disaster response team in Venezuela that included two urban search and rescue teams from the fire departments of Fairfax County, Virginia, and Los Angeles. The US military, which captured then-Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a surprise drug bust in January, will provide aircraft to help assess damage, aid in searches and deliver aid.

Other countries, including Mexico and Colombia, have also promised to help.

People in the United States are scrambling to reach their families in Venezuela

Earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 on Wednesday night caused severe damage to the country’s main airport in the capital, Caracas, which could hamper efforts to quickly get aid into the country. The earthquakes were among the strongest earthquakes Venezuela has seen in more than a century.

In photos and videos taken in the aftermath of the incident, children, animals and injured civilians were seen covered in dust and blood drawn from the concrete rubble.

In addition to the dead and injured, thousands more were reported missing, leaving many family members in the United States scrambling for updates. More than 770,000 Venezuelans live in the United States, with large communities settled in Texas and Utah, in addition to Florida.

In the Houston area, home to a large Venezuelan community, residents used community Facebook groups and other social media to spread the word about local donation sites. There was a high demand for first aid and medical supplies such as gauze, bandages, disinfectants, disposable gloves, face masks, syringes, thermometers and blood pressure monitors.

Local resident Daniel Arenas translated a Spanish post into English and shared it Thursday on his LinkedIn page in hopes that people around Houston would come forward and donate.

Sign up for Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter features the day’s top headlines.

“I came to this country 10 years ago and built a life here, but my heart is still in Venezuela,” Arenas said. “What’s happening there is devastating. They don’t have the resources to deal with this.”

Arenas, the maritime industry consultant, said his wife was worried about her aunt, who lives in a high-rise apartment in Caracas, and sent a distraught WhatsApp message after the quakes.

“She was crying and screaming and saying she was in pain but she wasn’t sure where,” Arenas said. “She said she had lost everything. She was desperate.”

Arenas said his wife was later able to reach her aunt.

In Venezuela, people are trapped in their homes or forced to sleep outside

There are several fundraising sites in Katy, a suburb about 30 miles (48 km) west of downtown Houston that has earned the nickname “Catizuela” because of its high concentration of Venezuelans.

Luis Angarita, who lives in Katy, said his younger sister and family had to sleep outside in a park after their home was damaged in the mountain community of Caribea, about 6 miles (10 kilometers) northwest of Caracas.

Angarita’s sister told him in a WhatsApp message that she was trying to get everyone to their father’s house on the other side of the capital. But there are no taxis or buses, and the roads out of their mountain community are closed.

“Thank God they are safe,” Angarita said in Spanish. “There are many displaced people and others stuck in their homes, unable to leave. They need help.”

In Florida, workers from the Doral-based Global Empowerment Mission on Thursday packed medical supplies, toiletries, boxes of bottled water and non-perishable foods to send to Venezuela.

Billy Richardson, the group’s US logistics director, said that despite the damage to airports and roads, the aid organization does not anticipate any delays in getting supplies into Venezuela.

“Sometimes that means using other airports, other modes of transportation, or even coming to other countries,” Richardson said via email.

Torres planned to contribute money to relief efforts. He still has uncles and cousins ​​living in Caracas and Valencia, another hard-hit Venezuelan city. He said some of them were injured while fleeing buildings during the earthquakes.

“Their homes were destroyed and some buildings collapsed,” Torres said. “Thank God, I don’t know anyone who died.”

___

Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia. Marcelo reported from New York.

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos