North Texas community group Hispanohablantes gathers items to help Venezuelans recover from deadly earthquakes

The devastation in Venezuela is being felt far beyond the country's borders.

"I just started crying out loud to be honest," Andrea Ng said. "I start crying out loud a lot because it's really hard to hear." 

Andrea Ng moved to North Texas from Venezuela four years ago, leaving much of her extended family back home.  The recent Frisco High School grad says it's been difficult to reach them after twin earthquakes killed more than 1,700 people and displaced thousands. 

"They lost communication completely," she said. "I think yesterday they don't have electricity. So, it was pretty harsh. They lost their houses and there are a lot of kids there. There's no water right."

While she waits for answers, she and local volunteers have started a donation drive. 

Using her trucking business, she's collecting supplies. 

"She's driving all around and when they say we have something to give - she goes and schedules the pickup," Hispanohablantes' Alma Juarez said. 

Over the weekend, they collected a lot of clothes and now say they're looking for essentials, items like bottled water, canned goods, and medicine. 

The group plans to ship the items to Venezuela. They're also looking for someone willing to donate a storage unit to help organize supplies.

Over the weekend, Venezuelan families gathered in Frisco to pray, with city leaders joining them in support. 

"We have residents in Frisco who are hurting and are concerned and have family that they can't get in touch with," Frisco City Councilwoman Ann Anderson said. "They're part of our family here in Frisco."

"It really touched my heart that people from everywhere came and supported Venezuela," Ng said.

Ng says she hopes Venezuelans know they're not alone.