As search and rescue crews in Venezuela dig through the rubble of back-to-back devastating earthquakes, the Bay Area’s Venezuelan community is anxiously watching and mobilizing to help. Authorities on Thursday reported at least 235 people have died following the powerful twin earthquakes. Th e 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes toppled buildings, damaged critical infrastructure and sent residents running for their lives. At the country’s main airport in Caracas, passengers scrambled for cover as the terminal shook violently. Near the epicenter, rescuers are actively pulling survivors, including children, from the debris. “My heart is still broken,” said Joanna Torres, an owner of Arepas Restaurant, which has locations in San Jose and San Francisco. “I cannot believe what happened to my country.” All of Torres’ family members are accounted for, but many others did not survive the devastating earthquakes, including the 80-year-old mother of Gladys Aparicio, who lives in San Francisco. Venezuela 13 hours ago Desperate search for survivors under rubble after Venezuela quakes kill at least 235 Earthquakes Jun 24 At least 164 dead and 971 injured after powerful quakes rock Venezuela Bay Area Jun 24 Caracas resident concerned after powerful back-to-back earthquakes hit Venezuela Aparicio said when a family member went to check on her mom in Guaira, the building had collapsed. In Caracas, resident Rosita Beracha evacuated her home to stay with relatives away from the hardest-hit areas. “There was one building where two floors, the front wall fell down. You could see the room, the bed, everything,” Beracha said. “It’s very hard. It’s heartbreaking. You can’t imagine that something like this could happen.” Liz Jaqueline Bermudez told NBC Bay Area the psychological trauma is real. She was on the seventh floor of a high-rise when the shaking began. By the time the second earthquake hit, Bermudez said she only made it to the fourth floor. Bermudez said the entire nation is on a prayer chain right now. On Thursday, two search and rescue task forces from Los Angeles and Virginia are on their way to the disaster zone in Venezuela. “The first thing they’re going to be up against is the clock,” said former Menlo Park Fire Chief Harold Schapelhouman, who led one of those task forces to big, destructive earthquakes in Haiti and Taiwan some years ago. Schapelhouman said the challenges facing rescuers in Venezuela will be many, including access and equipment. Then there is treating the survivors. If it’s anything like Haiti, you have a humanitarian problem,” he said. “Which means the living don’t have proper food, water, sanitation, support, shelter. And that’s going to become a bigger problem.” Schapelhouman said the United States might ingratiate itself with the rest of the world by leading the way on the humanitarian front. Torres is partnering with local businesses, including Alicia Molina of Angelino Insurance, to organize and ship the supplies directly to families in need. “The city is very hard to ship, (but) how can we help all these people who need to donate? We are in charge of that,” Molina said. The U.S. is currently deploying search and rescue teams to Venezuela and organizing relief supplies across the country. But for many in the Bay Area, the agonizing wait for word on missing loved ones continues. “Even right now, I can’t believe what’s happening in Venezuela,” Torres said. NBC News contributed to this report. ...read more read less