Residents of Doral, Florida, a city where over 40% of the population is of Venezuelan origin, have organized efforts to collect and send aid to Venezuela following two earthquakes that struck the country on Wednesday.
Doral is known as the city with the largest concentration of Venezuelans in the United States. Many in the community emigrated from Venezuela due to economic instability and security concerns that began under the administration of former President Hugo Chávez and continued under his successor, Nicolás Maduro, who took office in 2013.
Community members have gathered to collect essential supplies for relief efforts. Simón Peña, who is waiting for news about missing relatives, expressed his commitment to contributing to the aid drive. "I want to help as much as possible and do whatever little we can from here," Peña told BBC Mundo, highlighting the strong desire within the diaspora to assist those impacted by the natural disaster.