Girona City Council has backed an emergency appeal for people affected by the two earthquakes that struck Venezuela on 24 June, and is asking residents to support aid through financial donations rather than sending clothes, food or other goods. For Barcelona readers with family, friends or community ties in Girona, the message is clear, give through the official channels that can move fastest on the ground.
In a statement published on Tuesday 30 June, the council said it was supporting the call issued by the Fons Català de Cooperació al Desenvolupament, a Catalan municipal cooperation body. The council cited the two quakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 recorded on 24 June and said they had caused serious human and material damage in several parts of the country.
According to the official Venezuelan seismology agency, the Fundación Venezolana de Investigaciones Sismológicas, known as Funvisis, and the United States Geological Survey, Caracas and the states of La Guaira and Yaracuy were among the affected areas. Funvisis also reported a magnitude 4.2 aftershock in La Guaira on 29 June, showing the situation was still active when Girona issued its statement.
“We want to tell the people of Venezuela, and also Venezuelan neighbours who live among us, that they are not alone,” said Aminata Sabaly, Girona’s councillor for cooperation.
The council said the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation advises against donations in kind, including blankets, clothes, tents and food. It said those shipments can overload logistics, complicate emergency management and fail to match what people actually need.
Instead, Girona is recommending cash donations through specialised humanitarian organisations with an operational presence in the affected area. The council said essential supplies can often be bought more quickly and more appropriately in neighbouring countries or close to the disaster zone, while shipping goods from Catalonia can carry high economic and environmental costs. For readers following local solidarity campaigns, see our Community coverage and the Sport page for other Barcelona-area updates.
The Fons Català has activated an emergency appeal aimed at town halls, supramunicipal institutions and the public. Girona said residents who want to contribute should use the official channels set out in that campaign: Bizum 08678, or bank transfer to ES91 0182 6035 4102 0160 8531.
The original appeal was launched by the Fons Català, not by Girona itself, and the donation details published by the council match the campaign information issued by the body. Primary sources for this report include the Girona City Council, the USGS and the Ajuntament de Montcada i Reixach.
