Fresno family gathers supplies for Venezuela earthquake victims

A Fresno family was gathering life-saving supplies to send to Venezuela after twin earthquakes left at least 920 people dead and 3,360 injured. The effort gave Fresno County a local link to a disaster that had already overwhelmed northern Venezuela and sent rescue crews racing into collapsed neighborhoods.

The quakes struck Wednesday, June 24, 2026, about a minute apart, with U.S. Geological Survey estimates of magnitude 7.1 and 7.5. The first quake’s epicenter was west of Morón on Venezuela’s Caribbean coast, and the shaking collapsed buildings in Caracas and other northern areas.

The death toll climbed fast as emergency crews searched through debris. Early reports put the toll at about 235 dead and 4,300 injured, then the count rose to at least 920 dead and 3,360 injured. Later AP-referenced coverage cited by ABC30 put the toll at at least 1,430 dead. More than two dozen rescue teams from around the world were arriving or expected to arrive as the scope of the disaster widened.

For Fresno residents with family ties to Venezuela, the crisis was immediate and personal. ABC30 separately profiled a Fresno man born and raised in Venezuela who was waiting for word from relatives after the earthquakes, underscoring how the disaster reached directly into the Central Valley’s Venezuelan community.

The supply drive in Fresno reflected the same urgency on a smaller scale. Medical-aid organizations said the need was centered on health care and disaster response, not just general donations. Direct Relief said it was in communication with health providers about medical needs in northern Venezuela, and Samaritan’s Purse said it had airlifted nearly 100,000 pounds of relief, including an emergency field hospital, from North Carolina on June 27.

That local effort mattered because delays could mean fewer medicines, less equipment, and slower treatment for people trapped by the collapse. In a disaster that moved from hundreds of deaths to more than 1,000 in a matter of days, Fresno’s family collection became one more way for neighbors in the Central Valley to turn concern into immediate help.