One month since rare doublet earthquakes caused devastation in Venezuela, the diaspora community and other South Florida residents haven’t let up in their efforts to send supplies, medicine and hope to those most in need.
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The death toll from the two powerful earthquakes that shook Venezuela last month rose to 5,398 on Wednesday, local authorities said. The number of injured remains unchanged at 16,740, as in the past 17 days.
Venezuela’s government says 856 buildings are damaged and 190 collapsed completely since the 7.2 and 7.5 quakes on June 24. Hundreds of other types of structures, such as bridges and roads, were also affected. There are 23,335 people displaced who are living in refuge camps, the government said.
Relief efforts continue in South Florida
Global Empowerment Mission, a nonprofit aid organization headquartered in Doral, says it’s helped more than 150,000 people so far and delivered almost 3 million pounds of emergency supplies.
But the road to recovery is long.
“We’re at a very pivotal time,” Jorge Perez, a representative for GEM, said. “After a while, people start forgetting… and we can’t have that right now.”
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GEM is still collecting monetary and aid donations and welcoming volunteer help.
“We have about five years that it’s gonna take for Venezuela to recuperate,” Perez said. “We committed to $50 million worth of aid to Venezuela, which we’ve deployed about $12 million, so we still have a long way to go, and we need people to still come and volunteer, donate, and really be involved in the cause.”
How to help
If you’d like to find out more about GEM’s mission or donate financially, go here: https://www.globalempowermentmission.org/mission/venezuela-earthquakes/
If you’d like to donate supplies, go here to see drop-off locations near you: https://www.gemdropoff.com/
If you’d like to donate your time, visit this link: https://www.globalempowermentmission.org/volunteer/#events
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