Venezuela earthquake survivors face water shortage and sanitation crisis

Thousands of people still reeling from back‑to‑back earthquakes on June 24 in Venezuela are grappling with severe water and sanitation shortages. In the hardest‑hit state of La Guaira, residents have turned to the beaches of La Guaira and Maiquetía to bathe and use improvised toilets, while broken household water tanks force families to await tanker deliveries.

The quakes collapsed 190 buildings and damaged 856 more, leaving 3,685 dead. Survivors receive aid boxes bearing the U.S. flag that contain food, water and hygiene kits. The Norwegian Refugee Council warned that crowded, hot conditions and limited privacy increase the risk of disease, urging better sanitation measures.

Aid distribution continues amid ongoing challenges, as many communities previously received municipal water only once or twice a month, and now rely on scarce tankered water and makeshift facilities to meet basic needs.