As first responders continue searching for people trapped beneath rubble in Venezuela following two powerful earthquakes, people in Western Washington are stepping up to help survivors. The earthquake has killed nearly a thousand, with thousands more injured and missing.
For Kirkland resident Elimar Ugueto, the tragedy is deeply personal.
“I’m Venezuelan,” Ugueto said. “I travel frequently to Venezuela. Actually, I’m going in 10 days.”
She first learned about the 7.5 and 7.2 magnitude earthquakes that struck her home country through a text message from her cousin. At first, she didn’t realize how catastrophic the damage was.
“We start seeing videos and the news, and it starts getting, things start getting worse,” she said. “We’re not prepared. Venezuela was not prepared for this,” Ugueto said emotionally.
Ugueto has family in hard-hit Caracas and had to endure an agonizing wait to hear from them.
“But my family, thank God, is okay,” she said.
With the death toll climbing and thousands more hurt or missing, Ugueto said Venezuelans are relying on one another for support.
“It’s unbelievable. We have to become the strength of Venezuela, helping each other,” she said.
Ugueto immediately partnered with the Victoria Venezuela Foundation, a Florida-based non-profit she has worked with before, to organize a donation drive for people who have lost everything.
Items they’re looking for include bottled water, non-perishable food, personal hygiene items, basic supplies, clothing in good condition, and supplies for babies and vulnerable populations, in addition to monetary donations.
In just one day, nearly a dozen Venezuelan and South American businesses across Western Washington signed up as donation collection sites. You can make donations at:
- Mojito: 8511 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115
- El Parche Colombiano: 11740 15th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98125
- El Parche Colombiano Tacoma: 6324 E McKinley Ave, Tacoma, WA 98404
- Paparepas — Renton: 17034 116th Ave SE, Renton, WA 98058
- Paparepas — Seattle / Capitol Hill: 1620 Broadway Ste 100E, Seattle, WA 98122
- Arepa Venezuelan Kitchen — Seattle: 4500 9th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105
- Arepa Venezuelan Kitchen — Bellevue: 4058 Factoria Square Mall SE, Bellevue, WA 98006
- Club Sur / Café Con Leche: 2901 1st Ave S, Seattle, WA 98134
- La Zuliana Venezuelan Food: 10700 SE 208th St #101, Kent, WA 9803
“I want to thank them all,” Ugueto said.
There is no timeline yet for when the donations will be shipped, but the collected items will first go to Florida before joining a larger shipment headed to Venezuela.
“And Venezuelans, we will appreciate it because this is a tough situation and there’s nothing else we can do,” Ugueto said.
People who want to help can also make financial donations by visiting: http://victoriavenezuelafoundation.org/venezuela-earthquake-relief/
Another local organization, World Vision, has also launched a relief fund for the crisis in Venezuela: https://donate.worldvision.org/give/venezuela-relief-fund
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