Turkey & Syria Earthquake Emergency Response

Several devastating earthquakes struck Syria and Türkiye in the early hours of Monday, February 6, 2023. The quake, which occurred in south-eastern Türkiye near the Syrian border, is one of the strongest in the region in more than 100 years. It was felt as far away as Lebanon and Cyprus. According to UN OCHA, approximately 16 million people have been affected by the earthquake, and more than 244,000 buildings have been completely or partially destroyed. Four months after the earthquake many people still depend on humanitarian aid to provide them with basic necessities such as food, clean water, and shelter.

Caritas response in Syria & Türkiye

In Türkiye, Caritas Austria provides support through partner organizations, including the distribution of relief goods in the areas affected by the earthquake. Caritas Austria's partners have distributed around 700,000 humanitarian aid items so far. These include food packages, hot meals, water, hygiene items, blankets, sleeping bags, tents, and winter clothing. Services provided further include child protection, medical support and referrals to hospitals, and psychosocial support. Caritas partner organizations, such as Caritas Türkiye, have so far reached more than 97,000 people with their emergency response.

In Syria, Caritas and GOPA-DERD assistance in the first phase focused on meeting the basic needs of the earthquake-affected population through the provision of essential food, hygiene items, medical support, and psychosocial support, as well as cash payments. Financial support in particular will continue to be necessary due to the emergency situation. In addition, in the second phase, we are also providing assistance with housing rent and rehabilitation of homes and schools. A cross-cutting issue is psychosocial support for traumatized persons. In total, more than 11,000 people received support through this response in Syria.

Humanitarian aid needs remain high

Despite international assistance, humanitarian needs remain high in the affected region. Key needs include the provision of heavy equipment for debris removal, distribution of cash, shelter and non-food items (NFIs) (e.g. tents, insulation sheets, heating materials, winter clothing), food, WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene), reception centers, psychosocial support and protection, as well as Child-Friendly Spaces, medical support and family reunification.

Links:

• Caritas Austria response in Syria & Turkiye (GER)