Fr Edgar Magallanes S.J., a Jesuit priest and Country Director of JRS Venezuela, has spent the past two weeks travelling between affected areas in the eastern part of the country, helping to coordinate emergency response efforts and meeting families who have yet to receive aid.

People have lost their homes and are now staying in shelters, public spaces, or with relatives.

Within hours of the first strike, the Jesuit Province of Venezuela activated its emergency response, setting up collection centres where food, water, hygiene supplies, and medicines are now being distributed.

“We need a lot of water,” Fr Edgar said. “The weather is really hot.” In some neighbourhoods, some families have yet to receive a single bottle.

Rescue and recovery efforts are ongoing in some of the hardest-hit areas. In several cases, people have been found alive in small air pockets beneath collapsed buildings days after the earthquake.

Fr Edgar also described volunteers who have travelled across the country to assist, working long hours in difficult conditions. There are volunteers who slept outside in the early days of the response and returned each day to search for survivors. Some have continued even after being injured.

At the same time, Jesuit schools, universities, and community centres across Venezuela are working together to identify needs and deliver assistance to areas that remain underserved. JRS Venezuela is preparing to expand its response to accompany affected communities.

Fr Edgar stressed that recovery will take time, especially in communities that were already facing economic hardship before the disaster. He emphasised that support must continue beyond the immediate emergency, as families begin the long process of rebuilding.

*This article was originally published by JRS USA.