Firefighters, volunteers and government agencies unite to help communities devastated by the powerful earthquakes.

Ecuador has launched a broad humanitarian response to the catastrophic earthquakes that struck Venezuela, sending more than 100 firefighters and trained rescue dogs while opening donation centers across the country to collect food, medicine and other urgently needed supplies.

The effort brings together municipal fire departments, national authorities, universities, businesses, volunteers and members of Ecuador’s Venezuelan community. By the weekend, private organizations had already collected approximately four tons of humanitarian aid, and additional shipments were being prepared as rescue teams worked in some of the hardest-hit areas.

The earthquakes, with reported magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, struck Venezuela on June 24th, causing extensive destruction and leaving emergency agencies facing a rapidly growing humanitarian crisis. Venezuelan authorities reported early Sunday that at least 1,450 people had died, while tens of thousands remained missing.

Rescue crews deploy to damaged communities

A total of 107 firefighters from Quito and Guayaquil traveled to Venezuela to support search-and-rescue operations. The Guayaquil Fire Department sent 60 personnel, while another 47 firefighters came from Quito.

The Ecuadorian teams were accompanied by four dogs trained to locate people trapped beneath collapsed structures. They also carried specialized equipment intended for rescue work in unstable and technically challenging environments.

According to Ecuador’s Risk Management Secretariat, the missions arrived with enough equipment and supplies to operate independently for seven continuous days. That preparation allows the teams to conduct searches, stabilize victims and work alongside Venezuelan emergency agencies without drawing resources away from the communities they were sent to assist.

Firefighters from Quito were assigned to La Guzmanía and Caraballeda, two communities in La Guaira state that suffered severe damage. The coastal state, immediately north of Caracas, was among the areas most heavily affected by the earthquakes.

Their deployment marks one of the most visible parts of Ecuador’s response, but a second humanitarian operation has been developing inside the country as Venezuelan residents and Ecuadorian supporters gather supplies for survivors.

Volunteer network collects four tons

The Venezuelan-Ecuadorian Chamber of Commerce organized a network of collection points in Quito, Guayaquil and Cuenca shortly after the scale of the disaster became clear.

Carolina Brito, president of the organization, said approximately four tons of food, clothing and medical supplies were collected between June 25th and June 26th. More than 170 volunteers were working at donation centers by Friday, sorting contributions and preparing them for transportation.

The first shipment was taken to Ecuadorian customs while organizers awaited authorization for it to depart through Quito’s Mariscal Sucre International Airport. Later shipments are expected to travel overland because some donated materials, including matches and certain medical products, cannot be transported easily by air.

Organizers are asking primarily for nonperishable food, medical supplies, clothing and nutritional products for children. The chamber has placed particular emphasis on donations for minors because shelters in affected areas have reportedly received children who have been unable to locate their families.

Private collection points are operating at Cachapas El Félix, near Unidas and 10 de Agosto avenues in Quito; near the IQON building at De los Shyris and Suecia avenues; and at the Gaudí Building on Czechoslovakia Street. Donations are also being accepted at Pepitos Grill locations around the country.

In Guayaquil, a collection point is operating at Chamos Burger, near Víctor Emilio Estrada Avenue and Jiguas. In Cuenca, donations can be delivered to the Portal del Sol Building at 12 de Octubre Avenue and Emilio Carrere Street in the Yanuncay sector.

The chamber has said its collection centers will remain open indefinitely because the destruction will require assistance long after the initial rescue operations end.

Government opens centers in seven provinces

Ecuador’s government has established a parallel network of official collection centers in seven provinces. The centers began receiving humanitarian aid Sunday, June 28th.

The Presidency said the campaign was inspired by the international support Ecuador received after previous disasters. It called on residents to respond to Venezuela’s suffering with the same sense of solidarity that other countries had shown Ecuadorian families during times of tragedy.

Official donation points have been established at the University of Cuenca in Azuay, the Technical University of Manabí, the University of Guayaquil, the Technical University of Machala in El Oro and the Santa Elena Peninsula State University.

Two collection centers are operating in Pichincha province, at the Simón Bolívar Andean University and the Armed Forces University. Another has been opened at the Polytechnic School of Chimborazo.

The combination of official centers and volunteer-run locations is expected to expand the flow of supplies while allowing contributions to be gathered from several regions of the country.

As Ecuadorian rescue crews continue working through damaged neighborhoods in Venezuela, volunteers at home are preparing the next loads of food, clothing and medical materials. The first four tons represent only the beginning of an operation expected to continue as survivors leave emergency shelters and begin the longer process of rebuilding their homes and communities.