Two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday evening.
Over 200 people were killed and more than 4,000 were injured as a pair of powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday evening, officials said.
The two quakes -- a 7.2 magnitude one followed just seconds later by a 7.5 -- struck the coast of Venezuela, knocking down buildings in Caracas, the capital, and sending residents racing into the street.
Responders are undertaking "intensive rescue operations" Thursday, searching for people thought to be under the rubble, acting President Delcy Rodriguez said.
U.S. Southern Command is sending U.S. Marine Maj. Gen. Kevin Jarrard to Venezuela to oversee the Pentagon's earthquake relief efforts.
The Pentagon is supporting efforts by the State Department, which is responsible for U.S. government relief efforts.
-ABC News' Luis Martinez
The Urban Search and Rescue teams based out of Fairfax County, Virginia, and Los Angeles County, California, have both confirmed they are mobilizing units as part of the State Department's response to the earthquakes.
The Fairfax team said it is sending 80 people and six dogs to Venezuela, while the County of Los Angeles Fire Department said its team will consist of 71 people and six canines.
-ABC News' Shannon Kingston
The State Department says it will mobilize $150 million in assistance for Venezuela and stand up a task force to coordinate the distribution of that assistance.
The Department of Defense is expected to assist in the response by leveraging military assets already in the region and deploying personnel to “accelerate the delivery of life-saving assistance,” the State Department said, adding that it will also leverage aircraft to help U.S. government personnel, the search and rescue teams, and partners get into place so they can "assess damage, find the injured, and deliver critical life-saving assistance."
-ABC News’ Shannon Kingston
At least 188 people are dead and another 1,520 are injured following the two devastating earthquakes, according to Jorge Rodríguez, President of the National Assembly of Venezuela.
Rescue teams from the U.S., Mexico, Spain, Qatar and the United Nations are a heading to Venezuela to help, Rodríguez said.
At least 2,927 families have been impacted, Rodríguez said, and he called for people to remain at home.
