Venezuela Volunteers Build Emergency Camp in La Guaira

In the blazing Caribbean heat, rescue workers dig through rubble while families wait for news of loved ones. But at the center of the chaos in Tanaguarenas, a suburb of La Guaira, Venezuela, hope arrives in the form of an unlikely emergency response camp built entirely by volunteers.

Carolina Vivas, a professional logistician, arrived the weekend after the June 24 earthquake expecting to find organized relief efforts. Instead, she discovered that almost no support had reached this devastated community. Most aid stopped in Caraballeda, a neighborhood closer to Caracas, leaving Tanaguarenas forgotten.

"When we got here, we saw that we could do a lot to help," Vivas said. Within days, she transformed an empty space into a fully functional emergency center complete with floodlights, refrigeration, tents, aid collection points, and a health clinic.

The camp now serves as a lifeline for rescue teams working around the clock. Doctors and nurses Vivas personally recruited treat dozens of people daily, with heatstroke being among the most common conditions. The camp's refrigerator stocks cold water and electrolyte drinks that offer lifesaving relief from the punishing heat.

Every detail reflects Vivas's professional expertise. A blue tarp marks the disinfecting zone where everyone must clean themselves before entering. Medical staff provide oxygen and first aid to survivors pulled from the rubble.

The Ripple Effect

The camp runs entirely on the generosity of everyday Venezuelans. Each day, dozens of people arrive with food, water, and medical supplies. Vivas coordinates donations through a WhatsApp group, ensuring no area receives duplicate supplies while others go without.

"People are amazing, every day helping and bringing us all this aid," she said. The system prevents waste and extends the reach of community kindness far beyond one neighborhood.

Twelve days after the earthquake, families like Andreina Rey still wait at the site. Rey lost her daughter and two grandchildren in the collapse and refuses to leave until she can give them a proper burial. The volunteer team works night and day to support her and others facing unimaginable loss.

Vivas could have left after the initial emergency passed. Instead, she stays for the families she's met, the people who need someone to care when official systems failed them. Her commitment reminds us that the most powerful disaster response often comes not from institutions, but from neighbors who simply refuse to look away.