Two powerful earthquakes struck Caracas, Venezuela's capital, in quick succession last week — a magnitude 7.1 followed less than a minute later by a magnitude 7.5. As of air time, more than 2,200 deaths have been linked to the quakes, with more than 40,000 people still unaccounted for.

Alvaro Bello grew up in Venezuela and still has friends and family there. he works with The Immigration Project, an organization accredited by the U.S. Department of Justice to help immigrants with paperwork, though he joins us today as a private citizen. Bello talks what he's heard from contacts in Venezuela, the scale of the destruction, and how Venezuelans in Illinois are responding.

Since the earthquake in Turkey and Syria and its aftershocks, groups and organizations from around the world are springing to action to help in any way they can, including groups in Illinois. The 21st was joined by a member of a charity organization based in northern Illinois and a journalist who's been following the story. 

Hundreds are dead after a strong earthquake in Haiti. The executive director of Hope for Haitians joined The 21st to discuss the earthquake and Illinois' deep ties to Haiti. 

A group of University of Illinois students from Nepal spent the summer helping to rebuild their country after last spring's 7.8 magnitude earthquake. The series of quakes and aftershocks killed some 9,000 people and destroyed buildings and infrastructure. Engineering student Sital Uprety tested and rebuilt water sanitation systems and talked with us about the trip.