Twin earthquakes struck Venezuela on June 24, 2026, causing major damage in Caracas and a nearby coastal city, La Guaira. At the time of publication, 3,685 people have been declared dead, and more than 30,000 remain missing.

Dr. Hermes Florez and Dr. Zeina Hannoush are physicians who trained in Venezuela, then immigrated to the United States, where they now teach medicine. In a joint interview they talked about the earthquake and its aftermath, global aid efforts and the need to reform Venezuela’s healthcare system.

Dr. Hannoush, you were in Caracas during the earthquake. Can you describe what it was like?

Zeina Hannoush: I certainly felt it. It was very, very intense and long. I had been visiting my aunt and uncle, who live 15 minutes away from where I was staying. I was just standing at the exit of their building when it hit. Just two seconds before, I would have been in the elevator.

So I was already in the street when I felt the ground shaking. I walked to where I saw there were no trees or buildings and started yelling up to the people in the buildings, “Come down, come down,” because I started hearing the crashing of plates and people yelling.

The specific area of Caracas where I was located did not get profound damages like La Guaira did. And I immediately drove back to my in-laws’ house in another part of Caracas, because that’s where my kids were, and all I wanted to know is that my kids were safe.

Then there were aftershocks throughout the whole week. So we would be sleeping at night, and we would feel the bed shaking, so we’d wake up in the middle of the night and try to exit to the street.

What has each of you been doing in the aftermath of this disaster?

Hermes Florez: I came to the United States to complete my postgraduate........

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