Rescue crews in Venezuela are desperately searching through rubble for thousands of people still missing after two devastating earthquakes struck the country last week. Venezuelan officials say nearly 1,500 people have died, while hundreds of buildings have been destroyed or severely damaged.
Minnesota's Venezuelan community is rallying to support relief efforts. Patricia Aguilar moved to Osseo as an asylum seeker in 2018 after fleeing Venezuela's political and economic crisis. She’s now raising awareness to help people affected by the disaster.
Aguilar said her family escaped major damage, but many others were not as fortunate.
"We're talking about a massive damage, families that lost everything. There are still people alive under the rubble, waiting to be rescued. Entire families have disappeared." Aguilar told Minnesota Now host Nina Moini.
Aguilar said the disaster is compounding hardships in a country already struggling after decades of political and economic turmoil.
"I want people to know that this is a natural disaster happening on top of 27 years of political and economic crisis," she said. "This is just making worse a country that was already broken and damaged."
Across Minnesota, members of the Venezuelan diaspora have begun collecting money, food, medical supplies and rescue equipment for shipment to Venezuela. Aguilar said volunteers have already sent two semi trucks filled with supplies to Miami, where they will be flown to Venezuela.
She said as of Monday morning, more than 600 boxes of supplies are sitting the Twin Cities area, waiting to get shipping to Miami and on to Venezuela.
Still, she said, the greatest immediate need is financial support because supplies can take weeks to arrive. She said volunteers in Venezuela also urgently need protective equipment as they continue rescue and recovery efforts.
As of Monday, donation drop-offs in the Twin Cities are closed to accepting additional supplies because they don’t have enough room until another shipment goes out to Venezuela. In the meantime, Aguilar is urging financial donations.
Aguilar said Minnesota's response has been encouraging and urged residents to continue helping as recovery efforts stretch into the months ahead.
"Please don't see Venezuelans just as strangers from a country in South America," she said. "Venezuelans are neighbors. We've been building lives in Minnesota for more than 10 years. Whatever donation, no matter how small it is, it helps, and we really, really need it."
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