Amazon said on September 14 that it had donated and delivered more than 698,000 emergency supplies to support relief efforts following the June 24 earthquakes in Venezuela. The company said supplies reached 46 nonprofits, while a seven-flight humanitarian airlift transported more than 220 tons of relief from Miami to Caracas.
The earthquakes killed more than 6,000 people and affected millions, according to Amazon, which described them as the strongest quakes to strike Venezuela in more than a century. The company said it began delivering supplies within a week, including water filters, generators, tarps, blankets, and portable Wi-Fi systems for communities in La Guaira and elsewhere in the country.
Amazon provided aircraft and fuel at no cost for the airlift, working with Airlink, the U.S. State Department, and the United Nations World Food Programme. The seven flights carried food, medicine, hygiene supplies, and other relief for 27 nonprofits. Under the collaboration described by Amazon, the State Department coordinated access with local authorities, Airlink selected cargo based on nonprofit needs, and the World Food Programme managed distribution in Venezuela.
The company also delivered rapid response technology systems to All Hands & Hearts, which transported them over damaged roads by motorcycle. Amazon said the systems restored Wi-Fi at clinics and emergency hubs, allowing families to contact loved ones and enabling mental health providers, first responders, and other health professionals to serve patients. It also donated English- and Spanish-language Prime Video advertising space to World Central Kitchen, Airlink, the International Organization for Migration, and All Hands & Hearts to raise awareness of needs in Venezuela.
More than 400 Amazon employees participated in the response, according to the company. Volunteers packed 10,800 hygiene kits, moved 800 pallets of relief supplies for Global Empowerment Mission, and shipped more than 75,000 medical supplies for the Venezuelan American Medical Association.
Amazon characterized the operation as one of the largest relief efforts in its history. The company launched its disaster relief program in 2017 and said it has since donated and delivered more than 30 million emergency supplies and technology items in response to more than 200 disasters worldwide.