Venezuelan Diaspora in US Grapples With Quake Losses From Afar

For many Venezuelans living in the United States, the devastating earthquakes that struck their homeland in late June have created a painful, long-distance ordeal. Kelly Granado Montano, a 43-year-old restaurant owner in Los Angeles, spent weeks in anguish after her parents disappeared beneath the rubble of a collapsed building in the coastal town of Caraballeda. Unable to travel, she channeled her energy into fundraising and pleading on social media for heavy equipment to aid search teams.

After 57 days, her parents' van was found in the building's garage. The recovery brought a bittersweet end to her search. "We were happy because we had finally found them," she said, "but it wasn't the way we had wanted – alive."

The twin earthquakes, which struck north-central Venezuela on June 24, killed more than 6,500 people and left thousands of buildings damaged. For the more than one million Venezuelans in the US, the disaster unfolded through social media and family WhatsApp chats, triggering survivor's guilt and a profound sense of helplessness.

Alejandro Marquina, a resident of Doral, Florida, lost five relatives in his home state of La Guaira. The grief made it difficult to leave his house, and he experienced panic attacks when socializing. Therapy helped him cope, but it was action that moved him forward. He raised $2,000 for survivors, including his own displaced family members. "I needed to do something," he said. "I couldn't just stay in my house."

In Tucson, Arizona, Diana Ramos raised $4,000 to repair her damaged elementary school in Guatire. The effort was complicated by another massive earthquake in neighboring Colombia, which affected her sister. Ramos questions how much more hardship her people can endure after years of political and economic crisis.

For Dariela Merchan, an emergency room nurse in Austin, Texas, an expired passport prevents her from volunteering on the ground. Instead, she packs donated supplies for overwhelmed healthcare workers in Venezuela, including handwritten notes of encouragement. "People think we are fine, but we are not," she said.

The diaspora's efforts unfold against a backdrop of uncertainty, as US policy shifts affect the legal status of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans in the country. For many, the work of remembrance and relief is a way to bridge the distance and maintain hope.