The Government of Trinidad and Tobago has coordinated a national relief effort for Venezuela following devastating earthquakes that struck the neighbouring country on Wednesday.

Acting on the instructions of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, SC, the Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs and the Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government convened a Joint Public and Private Sector Stakeholder Meeting today to map out a humanitarian response. The meeting, chaired by Foreign Affairs Minister Sean Sobers and Rural Development Minister Khadijah Ameen, brought together senior representatives from the Ministries of Defence, Health, and Homeland Security, alongside executive members of the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the T&T Manufacturers Association, the American Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the Energy Chamber, and Sewa International TT.

Out of the meeting came a commitment to a unified public-private relief effort. Private sector donations are being directed to Warehouse Sheds 1 and 2 at the Port of Point Lisas, Amazon Drive, Point Lisas Industrial Estate. A broader national collection drive, involving all 14 municipal corporations across Trinidad, the Tobago Emergency Management Agency (TEMA), and participating supermarkets, is set to begin on Monday, June 29, running daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.