DC area restaurant flooded with donations for Venezuela earthquake victims
DMV rallies to send relief aid to Venezuela after earthquakes
In the wake of devastating twin earthquakes in Venezuela that have left nearly 1,500 dead, the Venezuelan community in the D.C. area is mobilizing local relief efforts.
WASHINGTON - As rescue crews race to find survivors in Venezuela, the Washington, D.C. region is stepping up to help.
A D.C.-area restaurant has been overwhelmed with donations from people eager to support earthquake victims.
The Venezuelan community across the region is heartbroken. Images from Caracas and La Guaira show widespread devastation, and the death toll has climbed toward 1,500, with officials warning it could rise further.
READ MORE: Fairfax County rescue crews pull mother, infant and father, son from rubble after Venezuela quakes
In Fairfax, Gabriela Febres, owner of Arepas Zone, has turned her storage facility into a donation hub. Community members have been dropping off an extraordinary amount of supplies since the twin earthquakes struck the country’s northern coast. Search‑and‑rescue crews in Venezuela have pulled dozens of people alive from collapsed buildings, but officials say time is running out for tens of thousands still unaccounted for.
In the nation’s capital, the Trump administration has mobilized a major response to support Venezuela. An elite rescue team from Fairfax County has also deployed to assist with search‑and‑rescue operations on the ground.
RELATED: Fairfax County rescue team deploys to Venezuela after deadly earthquakes
Back home, Febres says she has received hundreds of messages from Venezuelan Americans asking how they can help. She began organizing donation drives just one day after the earthquakes and is now partnering with a Miami‑based organization to ship truckloads of supplies to those in need.
She says the hardest part has been speaking with families who have lost loved ones. For now, she has paused donation collections after receiving an outpouring of support that filled her storage facility, but more drives are already being planned at the Fairfax location.
To find out when donation collections resume, follow Arepas Zone on Instagram or check their website for updates.
The Source: Information in this article comes from Arepas Zone, the Associated Press and previous FOX 5 reporting.