LOS ANGELES — Montano is a Venezuelan living in the United States who owns Full Arepas in Los Angeles. She used the establishment to coordinate aid for those affected by the disaster in her home country.

"The desperation, the pain, and the anguish grew — from not knowing" their fate, Montano said. Volunteers found the remains of Marina and Jesús on August 19.

"Because they were found just as I had hoped they would be. Together," she said. Montano and her sister held a memorial service for her parents at a Los Angeles church.

"Knowing we are helping people who are going through something similar … it brings me a little relief," Montano said. Her efforts reflect a broader pattern of diaspora support during limited institutional resources.

Venezuelan consulates in the U.S. shuttered years ago. This absence of diplomatic presence has compelled individuals to organize private relief channels.

Dariela Merchan is an emergency room nurse in Austin, Texas who utilized social media to assist survivors. She used TikTok to connect healthcare workers with platforms for free telehealth sessions.

A single TikTok post by Merchan garnered 500 signups for telehealth volunteering. A medical apparel company mailed her 200 sets of new scrubs in response to the outreach.

Merchan shipped the scrubs door-to-door to a health nonprofit in La Guaira. The shipping fee for the scrubs was $1,200.

Merchan crowdfunded part of the shipping fee and covered the rest herself. "People think we are fine, but we are not," Merchan said.

"They’re trying to survive and trying to work with what they have," Merchan said. These individual actions occur against a backdrop of shifting federal immigration policies.

President Donald Trump deposed then-President Nicolás Maduro in January. The Trump administration is ending programs that allow more than 700,000 Venezuelans to live and work legally in the U.S.

Other families continue to search for missing relatives in La Guaira. Antonella Molina and her nephew Pedro are searching for 18-year-old Andres Molina in the region.

Andres Molina has been missing since June 24. The building where he lived housed more than 30 people before the collapse.

Antonella Molina and other relatives pulled the bodies of Andres’ mother and brother from the collapsed building. Neighbors told Molina they saw Andres wandering the destruction collecting scrap metal.

Police told Molina they saw Andres collecting scrap material nearby. Molina and about 15 friends and relatives searched for Andres on a Saturday.

Alejandro Marquina received an Instagram message from his aunt Yolanda after her death. His family moved to South Florida in 2015.

Timeline

Alejandro Marquina's family moved to South Florida in 2015. President Donald Trump deposed then-President Nicolás Maduro in January 2026.

Kelly Granado Montano's parents, Marina and Jesús, went missing after the earthquakes on June 24, 2026. Marina and Jesús were last seen in the underground parking of their building in La Guaira on that same date. Andres Molina has been missing since June 24, 2026.

Volunteers found the remains of Marina and Jesús on August 19, 2026. Volunteers also found the remains of Kelly Granado Montano's cousin, her cousin's 9-year-old daughter, the daughter's friend, the cousin's boyfriend, and his 13-year-old son on August 19, 2026.

Why It Matters

The identification of remains provides closure for some families while showing the scale of loss in La Guaira. The discovery of multiple family members together reflects the concentrated impact of the structural collapses on single households.

Private citizens like Montano and Merchan have filled gaps left by the closure of Venezuelan consulates in the U.S. and the termination of legal residency programs for more than 700,000 Venezuelans. These efforts demonstrate how diaspora communities mobilize resources when formal diplomatic and immigration protections are withdrawn or unavailable.