Saskatchewan Venezuelans Rally Support After Deadly Earthquakes Strike Home Country
Venezuelans living in Saskatchewan are scrambling to locate missing loved ones and coordinate relief efforts after two powerful earthquakes — measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude — struck Venezuela on Wednesday, collapsing buildings in the capital Caracas and leaving thousands missing or homeless.
Diaspora Community Takes Action
Betzabeth Jaramillo, a humanitarian activist and political refugee who relocated to Saskatoon in 2023, has been working around the clock since the quakes hit. She is using social media to share missing persons information and help connect Saskatchewan’s Venezuelan community with relatives back home.
“We try to encourage the people to go outside and help the people inside the buildings,” Jaramillo said. “I try to connect to the rescue centres to find people because, you know, their communication is unstable and we need all the hands inside Venezuela and outside to try to help them to resolve the situation.”
The effort is complicated by unreliable telecommunications infrastructure in Venezuela, making it difficult to confirm the safety of friends and family members.
Canada Pledges Initial Aid
Canada’s foreign affairs minister announced the country will provide an initial $5 million in humanitarian aid to support lifesaving efforts on the ground. The funding is earmarked for emergency food, clean water, and health care.
The full scale of the disaster is still emerging, with rescue operations ongoing and the death toll expected to rise as crews work through collapsed structures across the country.
