Twin Earthquakes Destroy Venezuela on June 24th

Amy Gu

On June 24th, two earthquakes struck the northern coast of Venezuela, with the foreshock being of magnitude 7.2 and the mainshock being of magnitude 7.5. The 7.5-magnitude mainshock was the biggest earthquake to strike Venezuela in over a century. [Excellent hard-news lead—who, what, when, where, and the key context (biggest in a century), in two clean sentences. This is a complete transformation from Draft 1, which opened like a story. And you corrected “aftershock” to “mainshock.” Well done!]

In Northern Venezuela, including areas like Caracas, Aragua, Carabobo, and Falcón, near the epicenter of the earthquake, many buildings toppled and turned into rubble. 13 hospitals were damaged, making it very hard for injured people to access medical care. Schools were also damaged, making large numbers of children have zero access to education. “I felt the most terrified I have ever felt in my life,” a 68-year-old named Luisa Martínez stated. 

A 49-year-old fisherman, lost twenty-six members of his family, including his sisters, nieces, nephews and grandchildren in the earthquake. Those twenty-six people make up a portion of the 6,100 lives lost in the twin earthquakes. The quakes left tens of thousands of people homeless, and with no access to clean water, food, or medication. People have to search for bodies in the rubble. [This last line is vague and drifts toward into generality—make it specific or attribute it (who is searching, and per whom?).]

There is some hope for people devastated by the earthquakes. Organizations like UNICEF and the Mercy Corps are actively trying to help victims of the earthquakes by giving them safe shelter, clean water, food, and essential supplies. UNICEF has also delivered child-friendly spaces like parks, child protection teams, and breastfeeding stations. Countries like the USA, Qatar, Mexico, China, and Brazil have sent humanitarian aid and support. Even though aid was sent, 5 million people still need emergency aid to survive.