U.S. Commits $150 Million and Rescue Assets to Venezuela After Twin Earthquakes

Two earthquakes, measuring magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, struck northern Venezuela on the evening of June 24, with the second tremor following the first by approximately 39 seconds. The quakes hit off Venezuela's northern coast, west of Caracas, with the initial shock reported at roughly magnitude 7.2, followed by a larger main event at roughly magnitude 7.5. The second quake was Venezuela's most powerful in more than a century. Jorge Rodriguez, president of Venezuela's National Assembly, said that at least 188 people were killed and nearly 1,520 more were injured in the immediate aftermath, though figures have climbed sharply since. Venezuela's health minister confirmed 235 people dead as of Thursday evening, and casualty counts continue to rise. The U.S. Geological Survey issued red PAGER alerts for both earthquakes, indicating high loss of life and extensive damage are probable and that the disaster is widespread. For the 7.5-magnitude event, USGS PAGER estimated a 44% probability of between 10,000 and 100,000 deaths, and a 23% probability of more than 100,000 deaths.

Venezuelan acting President Delcy Rodriguez designated the La Guaira area a disaster zone in the immediate hours after the quakes. The rare earthquake "doublet" forced closure of the damaged Simón Bolívar International Airport, which has complicated the delivery of large-scale international aid. U.S. personnel subsequently deployed a specialized airfield management and assessment team to inspect, clear, and certify damaged runways so they can safely receive heavy military transport aircraft carrying aid and rescue teams. The disaster struck on June 24, a Venezuelan national holiday commemorating the 1821 Battle of Carabobo, meaning many residents were at home rather than at work when the quakes hit. A Trump administration spokesperson confirmed that 3 Americans were among the dead and 12 were missing.

The Trump administration activated a government-wide response within hours of the event. President Trump immediately authorized the U.S. government to commit significant financial assistance, deploy search and rescue efforts, and collaborate with the interim Venezuelan authorities to address acute needs. The administration directed $150 million in emergency funding to humanitarian organizations operating in Venezuela, with the funding set to support vetted organizations including Samaritan's Purse and Catholic Relief Services. Of that total, $100 million is allocated to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to support large-scale relief operations inside Venezuela, along with $50 million in bilateral assistance to humanitarian organizations on the ground. The State Department is deploying a regional Disaster Assistance Response Team, or DART, comprising two specialized urban search and rescue teams focused on locating survivors; back in Washington, the Department stood up a specialized task force to coordinate assistance with public and private sector partners and assess needs on the ground.

The Department of State, under Secretary Marco Rubio, is leading the deployment of the regional DART, as well as urban search-and-rescue teams, to assess needs and provide search and recovery assistance. The DART includes hundreds of specialists, among them search-and-rescue personnel, physicians, firefighters, and canine teams, deploying from Los Angeles and Fairfax, Virginia, with additional personnel expected to follow. The Department of Defense is playing a role in securing logistics for the response, including by leveraging military assets already positioned in the region, with elements from U.S. Southern Command, or SOUTHCOM, working alongside the DART to implement life-saving activities. The Trump administration also deployed U.S. Navy warships to assist in rescue operations.

A legally significant dimension of the U.S. response involves the intersection of the aid commitment with existing Venezuela sanctions. The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control issued Venezuela-related General License 60 on June 25, authorizing transactions related to earthquake relief efforts that would otherwise be restricted under existing sanctions; the license is designed to ensure that U.S. sanctions do not prevent or inhibit transactions needed to provide life-saving disaster assistance, and it expires Oct. 23, 2026. Washington also temporarily authorized financial transactions with Venezuela normally restricted under sanctions, provided they are directly related to earthquake relief operations. The OFAC carve-out reflects a recurring challenge in sanctioned-country disaster response, similar to general licenses issued during the 2010 Haiti earthquake and in the Syria context: the U.S. government must authorize aid channels in advance or risk criminal and civil liability for U.S. persons transacting with the targeted jurisdiction.

The scale and speed of the U.S. response carries added political weight, given that the Trump administration ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January and dismantled USAID, which had previously overseen much of U.S. foreign aid. An improved bilateral relationship has allowed the United States to move aid into the country more quickly than would have been possible under prior conditions, according to State Department officials. The Trump administration subsequently announced it was boosting its total humanitarian aid commitment to more than $300 million as the scale of the disaster became clearer. Officials have not determined how long American assistance will remain in Venezuela; disaster teams are conducting damage assessments that will determine what additional support may be required in the coming days and weeks.