Powerful earthquakes on June 24 rocked Venezuela and briefly prompted the issuance of a Tsunami Advisory for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. While the advisory was canceled, experts say the event serves as an important reminder that Caribbean earthquake and tsunami preparedness must be understood.

A preliminary 7.1 magnitude earthquake was reported Wednesday evening in northwest Venezuela, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

For the U.S. Virgin Islands, the local impact remained limited to the short-lived tsunami advisory. The main emergency remained in Venezuela, where officials were still assessing damage, treating the injured, searching collapsed buildings, and urging residents to stay clear of weakened structures as aftershocks remained possible.

After powerful twin quakes rattled Venezuela in June 2026, social media posts recirculated a 15-year-old video falsely claiming it showed a tsunami hitting the Venezuelan coast. The footage in fact shows a tsunami off the Kuji port in Japan in 2011,

Two earthquakes, magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, occurred seconds apart, around 160 miles west of Venezuela's capital, Caracas.

Residents reported strong shaking in areas west of Caracas, while tremors were also felt in the Caribbean islands of Aruba and Curaçao, as well as in Guyana.

A search and rescue team from the Los Angeles County Fire Department is returning to the United States after helping crews locate victims of the twin earthquakes in Venezuela.

The U.S. Geological Survey warned that "high casualties and damage are probable, and that the disaster is likely widespread."