The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is mobilizing aid in Venezuela after two deadly earthquakes struck the country on Wednesday, June 24.
The humanitarian response includes distributing approximately 5,000 assistance kits, which are expected to benefit more than 23,000 people, according to a news release on the Church’s Spanish language Newsroom website.
The kits include food, drinking water, hygiene items and other essential supplies. The Church is also working to provide mattresses, blankets and pillows to people in shelters.
The Church’s response is in conjunction with other humanitarian organizations and government authorities. The Church is also preparing other projects focused on supporting the recovery of families who lost their belongings.
Elder Bhanu Hiranandani, an Area Seventy, wrote in an email to the Church News that some of the Church’s meetinghouses are being set up as collection centers to assist the community. He also wrote that “due to limited access and restrictions on reaching the most severely affected areas, we are currently waiting for the opportunity to reach those locations and provide volunteer service.”
Elder Hiranandai wrote: “These are difficult times and we must trust in the Lord’s promises. Isaiah 41:10 says ‘Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.’”
Shocked by the news
Elder Pedro X. Larreal, a General Authority Seventy who is from Venezuela and has family currently living in the country, wrote in an email to the Church News that he was was shocked by the news.
He said the many trials and challenges faced by the people in Venezuela reminds him of Mosiah 24:13-16. In those verses, the Lord gives comfort, promising “I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.”
Said Elder Larreal: “I don’t have any doubt that our Heavenly Father through His Son, Jesus Christ, would bless our nation in this difficult time we are living in. The Lord promises us that ‘I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders.’”
Two strong quakes
The 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes struck the country late in the evening on Wednesday, June 24. According to reporting by the Associated Press, the quakes were the strongest in the South American country in more than a century.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the first earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.2, hit west of Moron on the Caribbean coast, about 105 miles west of Caracas. It had a depth of about 14 miles. Just a minute later, USGS reported a second 7.5-magnitude earthquake, with a depth of 10 kilometers (about 6 miles) and an epicenter 10 miles southwest of Moron.
The death toll had risen to 1,450 as of Monday morning, June 29, with thousands injured and thousands reported missing. Damage and casualties are heavy in the coastal region of La Guaira, which is north of Caracas, the capital.
Authorities said Sunday that more than 770 buildings had totally or partially collapsed from the earthquakes.
The risk of further damage also remains as aftershocks continue; quakes measuring 4.2 and 4.5 hit Sunday morning.
Area Church leaders offer statement of sympathy
Hours after the earthquakes struck, the Caribbean Area presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released a statement expressing “sincere support, solidarity and prayers for all those affected.”
The statement from Elders Valeri V. Cordón, Hugo Montoya and Ahmad S. Corbitt, the General Authority Seventies comprising the area presidency, reads:
“We are deeply saddened by the recent earthquake that has affected Venezuela, causing moments of uncertainty and concern for many people and families.
“We express our sincere support, solidarity and prayers for all those affected. In these difficult times, we stand with the Venezuelan people, hoping they find strength, peace and solace as they face this situation.
“We pray that hope, unity and the spirit of service will prevail, and that the affected communities will find support and strength in the midst of adversity.”
The Church in Venezuela
Venezuela is home to 179,000 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, making up 33 stakes and 235 congregations.
Church President Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the Caracas Venezuela Temple on Aug. 20, 2000. On April 7, 2024, Church President Russell M. Nelson announced a temple for Maracaibo, Venezuela, during the April 2024 general conference.
And on Feb. 2, 2020, President Nelson and then-Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke directly to Latter-day Saints in Venezuela via a videotaped devotional.
