Bay Area rallies aid for Venezuela earthquake victims

Updated 3 hours ago
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Residents and businesses in the Bay Area are mobilizing to support victims of devastating earthquakes in Venezuela, as search efforts continue for survivors following last week's disaster.

At least 1,900 people have died, while more than 5,000 have been injured and about 50,000 remain missing, according to reported figures.

The earthquakes damaged or destroyed nearly 59,000 buildings across the country, displacing thousands more and deepening an ongoing humanitarian crisis.

In Oakland, volunteers have been packing donations to send to affected communities. For many involved, the relief effort is deeply personal, with family members and friends directly impacted.

MORE: Teams scramble to locate survivors four days after Venezuela earthquakes

"I feel I need to be committed to my country and my people, and that's why I need to be here. And I feel like I need to do something to help there since I'm not there with the people," said Tizziana Scogna, a 16-year-old volunteer from Richmond. Angelitos Insurance, whose owners are from Venezuela, will continue to accept contributions at its Oakland location at 4819 International Boulevard on Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with a focus on supplies for children.



"We are focusing now on baby products like formula. As a mother, I know this goes very fast. So we need to feed those kids for a long time. We need diapers, formula, baby food in general, baby medicine like Tylenol, antibiotic ointments for those who are hurt," said Alicia Molina, one of the company's owners.

Arepas Latin Cuisine, which has locations in San Francisco and San Jose, is helping organize this fundraiser, which has already collected an estimated 400 boxes of items including toiletries, hygiene items, food and more.

Other businesses are also contributing.

MORE: Several strong earthquakes strike globally in 1 day. How are they connected?

Coupa Café, owned by a Venezuelan family with nine Bay Area locations, is donating $1 from every beverage sold through July 5 to the organization Alimenta la Solidaridad to support earthquake relief efforts.

The company's sister cafe in Caracas was damaged by the earthquake, said Camelia Coupal, one of the owners.



Community members say the scale of the destruction makes the work feel urgent and ongoing.

"We're helping them with the resources that we can. But I feel like it's not enough because it's thousands of deaths, thousands of people under the ground. So we're doing what we can. We're sharing the information that we can but it's hard," Scogna said.

As recovery efforts continue in Venezuela, Bay Area residents say they will keep working to provide aid and raise awareness for those affected.

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