Ana Chalita hasn't changed her clothes in three days. There's too much work to do.

• The Richmond nonprofit leader with Ven Conmigo wakes at 3am to check messages from Venezuela, and forces herself to not watch the videos of how the earthquakes decimated the country she grew up in.
• At least 1,700 lives have been lost. More than 50,000 people are still missing.
• "If I see the hurt," Chalita tells Axios, "I will drown in it."

Why it matters: Instead, within 72 hours, Chalita helped mobilize the Richmond area's Venezuelan diaspora into one of its largest humanitarian relief efforts in recent history.

The big picture: Venezuelan restaurants have turned into collection sites for nonperishable food, medicine and rescue supplies — in coordination with Ven Conmigo's five-person team.

• Inside Innsbrook's Arepa Station, donation boxes nearly reached the ceiling over the weekend.
• At Chamo's Arepa House in Chesterfield, some customers stayed to sort donations.
• People at the Latino Farmers Market offered to drive supplies down to Miami, a major hub for coordinating shipments into Venezuela.

Zoom in: By Sunday, First English Lutheran Church on Monument Avenue had transformed into a warehouse, with a human assembly line of 30-40 volunteers unloading boxes of diapers, first aid kits and more in blazing heat.

• And Ven Conmigo, which has raised almost $10,000, had funded thousands of arepas for responders in Caracas and La Guaira and hygiene supplies for displaced families.

What they're saying: "That's something we Venezuelans do," says Maly Fung-Angarita, co-owner of Con Salsa in Glen Allen. "We put everything aside and we're like, 'Vamos a ayudar.'"

Zoom out: In conversations with Axios, about 20 local Venezuelans described the guilt and helplessness of watching from afar.

• Some waited days to hear from relatives. Others said their families were safe, but the tragedy felt personal.
• "It's not our family, but it's our family," multiple people told Axios.

What they're saying: When the grief overwhelms, Chalita reminds her team of the impact of the small things: a flashlight, a blanket, one more meal.

• "If we manage to feed the firefighter who pulled out a child," she says. "We accomplished a lot."

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A "heat dome" is forecasted to bring dangerously high temperatures to Richmond and much of the eastern half of the U.S. this week.

Why it matters: The "prolonged and widespread heat wave" has the potential to be the region's worst in several years, according to the National Weather Service.

• And the extreme heat will last through the July 4 celebrations.

Driving the news: Temperatures in the region will likely reach 97 to 103 degrees — or higher — from Thursday through Saturday, per NWS.

• The heat index, or "feels like" temperature, will swell to 105 to 110 degrees over the same period.
• In metro Richmond, the brutal heat starts tomorrow and RVA is under an "elevated risk" for extreme heat, per the NWS.

By the numbers: The max forecasted temperature and heat index temperature each day in Richmond, per NWS:

• Tomorrow: 97/104
• Thursday: 101/107
• Friday: 103/109
• Saturday: 101/106
• Sunday: 97/103

The bottom line: It's going to be a scorcher of a week. Try to stay hydrated, indoors and in a good place with your friends with pools.

Keep reading for heat stroke risks and cooling shelters

⚖️ The Supreme Court ruled in a bank robbery case involving Chesterfield police that the use of Google data to obtain cellphone location records counts as a search under the Fourth Amendment. (VPM)

• The case goes back to the lower courts to determine if the county's geofence warrant was constitutional.

🏗️ The Richmond Economic Development Authority will convey a portion of the Sports Backers Stadium site to the Diamond District developer for roads and other public infrastructure in a $1 deal that is expected to close today. (BizSense)

🏛️ The state budget process wrapped up yesterday with Virginia lawmakers accepting all 14 of Gov. Spanberger's budget amendments at their reconvened session. (WFXR)

🫗 Africanne on Main restaurant closed Saturday after 38 years in business. (WTVR)

• Chef Ida Mamusu, who ran her restaurant for nearly four decades, is retiring and plans to move home to Liberia.

Henrico and Chesterfield are advancing major pedestrian safety projects this year — and some start construction this summer.

Why it matters: The investments signal a broad push toward making two of the Richmond area's most car-dependent suburbs safer to walk.

The big picture: Both are expanding sidewalk and trail networks that connect neighborhoods with schools, parks, hospitals and transit, per an Axios review.

Here are a few on the way:

🚦 Henrico: Hermitage Road: Early construction is underway on a long-term project adding sidewalks and walkways between Staples Mill and Hilliard roads.

• Henrico is also planning a pedestrian bridge over I-95 connecting the Garden City Trail and Best Products Reimagined, with construction scheduled for 2029-2031.

🚶🏻‍♀️ Chesterfield: Route 1: At least 10 projects are adding pedestrian crossings to shopping centers and improving bus stop access.

• Courthouse Road: The county is building a trail system for pedestrians and cyclists.

Full list including Chesterfield's "Active Transportation Plan"

An exhibition of colorful and larger-than-life creature sculptures is at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden through September.

Why it matters: It's the first time the works have been available to view anywhere on the East Coast, per the garden.

State of play: "ALEBRIJES: Creatures of a Dreamworld" are Mexican folk art-inspired sculptures made of metal and papier-mâché.

• They're brought to life by artists using acrylic paint and cartonería, a traditional Mexican art form, to create one-of-a-kind pieces.

If you go: "Creatures of a Dreamworld" is open through Sept. 27.

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