As rescue crews search for survivors following two powerful earthquakes in Venezuela overnight on Wednesday, members of Canadaโs Venezuelan community say theyโre relieved loved ones are safe, but worried about what comes next.
At least 188 people have died and hundreds more have been injured after 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes struck parts of the country, causing widespread damage in some of the most densely populated areas.
Luis Hernandez, owner of a Venezuelan cafรฉ called Pomarosa in Toronto, said his first concern was reaching family members back home.
โIt was a big surprise. I was very concerned because I have family living in Venezuela,โ Hernandez said. โThe first thing I did was try contacting them.โ
Hernandez said roughly 10 relatives, including six of his siblings live in Caracas.
Even though they are unharmed, he worries the true scale of the disaster may not yet be known.
โIt could be thousands of people that we donโt even know about yet,โ he said.
Hernandez added that many Venezuelans have a hard time relying on official government information.
โThe only way to communicate with people is using social media, relatives and friends telling us whatโs happening,โ he said.
โToday half of our customers are asking us, โIs everything OK? Is your family OK?’โ
For cafรฉ employee Jennyfer Chirinos, the earthquakes strike especially close to home.
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Her mother arrived in Caracas on Tuesday โ just one day before the quakes hit.
โWe are happy she got there safe,โ Chirinos said. โAll my family is living there and right now they are OK.โ
Chirinos said she was shocked by the disaster and worried about how damaged infrastructure could affect travel.
โMy father was supposed to come tomorrow, but the flight was cancelled,โ she said. โFor now, he needs to stay there because there is no option to come.โ
She said family members are now waiting for authorities to provide more information about conditions on the ground.
Meanwhile, humanitarian organizations are also preparing for what could be a lengthy recovery effort.
Emergency responders in Venezuela are focused on search-and-rescue operations, medical care and transporting injured people to hospitals, said Kelsey Lemon, vice-president of international cooperation with the Canadian Red Cross.
โLast night there were two devastating earthquakes in one of the most populated areas of Venezuela,โ Lemon said in an interview with Global News.
The organization is working with teams on the ground to determine what support is needed and how Canada can help, she added.
โWe say the first 24-48 hours is search and rescue, then after that is finding shelter, food, water.โ
Among the supplies ready to be deployed are hygiene kits, solar lights and other emergency essentials. The Red Cross is also preparing personnel who could be sent to assist.
โWe expect a long road to recovery,โ Lemon added.
Authorities said rescue efforts remain underway in some of the hardest-hit areas, where buildings collapsed and people are believed to remain trapped beneath the rubble.
In a post on X, Prime Minister Mark Carney offered his โsincere condolences to the loved ones of those who were lost.
โMy thoughts are with everyone who has been injured or displaced and with the first responders working tirelessly to save lives.โ
Video shared online appeared to show dozens of people, some lying on the ground and others on hospital beds, being treated outside a hospital in La Guaira.
โ With files from The Canadian Press
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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