Florida Keys community members are mobilizing to help the people of Venezuela affected by a pair of powerful earthquakes last week. 

Intense searches continue following the 7.2-magnitude and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes on June 24. Buildings collapsed in the capital of Caracas and coastal communities in La Guaira, trapping many people. Death toll reports have grown to 1,700. Some 50,000 people are still missing.

Key Largo Sunset Rotarian Manuela Mobley, whose family lives near the capital, said rescuers are still searching for her cousin and four other people who were in a grocery store in La Guaira during the time of the earthquakes. 

“It’s been six days at this point,” she said.

Mobley said the rest of her family is safe and doing OK, although aftershocks are keeping them on edge.  

Search-and-rescue teams operating under the U.S. Department of State, including Florida Task Force One and Miami-Dade’s Urban Search & Rescue, descended on the region to help comb through disaster-affected buildings to save the trapped. More than 32 countries are involved in response and relief efforts. 

Locally, Mobley has led an effort to establish a collection in the Keys to support the people in Venezuela. She was able to establish a connection with the Caracas Rotary Club District 4370 in order to get food, baby items and other necessities into the hands of those who need them the most. 

“My mom helped me connect with Rotary because her boss is a Rotarian,” she said. “I wanted to reach out because I obviously wanted to help. But I knew shipping anything there would be expensive. That’s when I found out the shipping company Tealca was sending a container of items directly to Rotary in Caracas.”

The collection effort has spanned from the Upper to Lower Keys with help from local Rotary clubs. Supplies and financial contributions have been pouring in from generous local residents, including visitors who learned about the efforts through a social media post. 

“We’re going to keep on going with the goal to fill the shipping container by July 6. From there, it will leave Miami to Caracas, where the Rotary club there will collect the boxes and distribute the items to those in need,” Mobley said. 

In the Upper Keys, people can drop off supplies at the Room Nail Bar at 99348 Overseas Highway, Key Largo; 91865 Overseas Highway, Tavernier; 85960 Overseas Highway, Islamorada; and the Upper Keys Weekly office, 89240 Overseas Highway, Suite 2. Tavernier. For more information, call Manuela Mobley at 305-967-9222. 

Those who wish to support Venezuela financially can donate money to the Key Largo Sunset Club Foundation by scanning the QR code here as treasurer Brooke Vega keeps track of the donations.

A similar collection effort is underway in the Middle and Lower Keys with help from the Marathon Rotary Club. People can drop off items at Coldwell Banker Schmitt, 11050 Overseas Highway; Million Air, 8800 Overseas Highway; and the Marathon Chamber of Commerce, 12222 Overseas Highway. All donations must be dropped off or arranged for pickup by Thursday, July 9. Supplies will be transported via plane on July 10. For more information, call Jesus Parra at 786-282-9281.

Donations items requested

• Baby diapers (all sizes)
• Adult diapers
• Baby formula (sealed)
• Non-perishable food (canned goods, protein bars, peanut butter)
• Manual can openers
• Bandages, gauze, antiseptic wipes
• Over-the-counter pain relievers
• Toilet paper
• Wet wipes
• Feminine hygiene products
• Flashlights (preferably LED)
• Batteries (AA, AAA, D)
• Blankets
• Sleeping bags
• Work gloves
• Heavy-duty trash bags
• Dust masks (N95 if available)