Emergency Response - Earthquake in Turkiye-Syria

Background

A series of devastating earthquakes hit southern Türkiye (Turkey) and northern Syria on February 6, 2023, including a 7.8-magnitude earthquake and more than 2,100 strong aftershocks. Hundreds of thousands of buildings were reduced to rubble, killing more than 60,000 people and injuring thousands more. Nearly 19 million people were directly impacted by the earthquakes across both countries, including 7.1 million children, according to UNICEF. The provinces closest to the epicenter in Türkiye were home to 15 million people, including 1.8 million Syrian refugees. More than 2 million people were evacuated by the Turkish government or have registered with government services since the earthquakes struck. In Northwest Syria – the part of the country most affected by the earthquakes – about half of the population of 4.6 million people were already displaced before February.

In the months that have passed since the first round of earthquakes, the region has continued to face recurring smaller earthquakes with a magnitude between 4.0 and 4.9 along with heavy rains that have caused widespread flooding. In Syria, at least 50 camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) flooded, damaging or destroying more than 3,000 tents. This flooding exacerbates concerns about the spread of waterborne and vector-borne diseases (like malaria or dengue). In IDP camps in Syria, 64% of people do not have access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities. As a result, there are already 60,000 suspected cases of cholera in the region, a number that can grow exponentially unless a significant investment is made.

Displaced families also face a wide range of other significant health concerns – both physical and mental. With health facilites damaged and intermittent supply lines, people have not had sufficient access to basic health services since February. In Türkiye alone, an estimated 20,000 pregnant women will need emergency obstetric care in the coming months, as well as thousands more who will also need maternal, neo-natal and infant health services. In Syria, 80% of IDPs are women and girls – most of whom will need safe and dignified access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. Impacted families are also struggling to reover from the trauma of the earthquake and displacement. In Northwest Syria, there are at least 1 million people in need of psychosocial support, but reportedly only 24 psychologists in the area.

CARE’s Response

CARE launched a comprehensive emergency response strategy in the immediate aftermath of the earthquakes, delivering humanitarian aid, ranging from clothing to tents, mattresses, blankets, food and non-food items, as well as portable WASH facilities and WASH materials in both Türkiye and Northwest Syria. CARE is working closely with longstanding and trusted partners, as well as other international non-governmental organizations and relevant government partners, to ensure that response activities are coordinated to reduce redundancy and ensure that we can reach the greatest number of people efficiently and effectively.

Around the world, we see women’s and girls’ specific needs often being overlooked in times of crisis. That is why our teams have conducted a series of assessments in order to ensure that our response considers the needs of the most vulnerable members of the community – including not only women and girls, but also people with disabilities and the many unaccompanied children who have been separated from their parents in the aftermath of the earthquakes.

Türkiye

To date, CARE has reached approximately 37,600 people in Türkiye with essential supplies. Over the past three months, CARE has distributed 167,000 liters of bottled drinking water and 2,626 hygiene kits to people who still have limited access to suitable WASH infrastructure. In addition to essential items, the hygiene kits contain supplies to ensure the dignity of displaced families, like underwear, a hair scarf, socks, a hairbrush with mirror, anti-lice shampoo, wet wipes, whistle, flashlight, Vaseline, a comprehensive sewing kit and deodorant. We have also provided 317 families with kitchen kits so they can prepare their own food and distributed 3,500 blankets and sets of warm clothes to keep families warm during cold winter nights.

In response to recent flooding in Sanliurfa, CARE’s teams are working closely with local municipalities to ensure that families have access to basic necessities like personal hygiene items and food rations. In the coming weeks, we aim to provide 5,500 hygiene kits and 5,500 food baskets for flood-affected families who have also been impacted by the February earthquakes, particularly those in hard-to-reach groups in rural and informal sites.

Syria

To date, CARE has reached more than 572,800 people through our emergency response in Northwest Syria. In close collaboration with our partners, CARE has provided 1,439 tents to displaced families as well as 8,400 kitchen sets that will enable families to cook their own food. We have also distributed 14,800 hygiene kits and 7,680 kits with other essential non-food items. In addition, CARE – together with our local partners – has continued to help clear the rubble left behind by the earthquakes in February. To date, we have helped to remove more thans 18,000m³ of debris in Idlib province.

 Prior to the earthquakes less than 60% of hospitals and health clinics were fully operational in Northwest Syria. In order to ensure that vulnerable people have access to basic health care services, CARE has launched four mobile medical units to provide general health consultations, nutrition services, WASH assistance and other services. Since 80% of the displaced population in Northwest Syria is female, CARE has also invested heavily in ensuring access to SRH services, including through three SRH clinics in Aleppo and Idlib. CARE also supports a maternity and pediatric hospital in Aleppo and three emergency obstetric and newborn care centers in Aleppo and Idlib provinces to ensure the health and safety of mothers and their newborn children. 

Funding Target

CARE seeks to raise $80 million over the course of three years – including $65 million in the first year – to provide lifesaving assistance to people affected by the earthquakes, and to support the medium and long-term recovery of the region. Some examples of how your gift could help families affected by the earthquakes include:

• $35 can provide a family with a set of five blankets;
• $37 can provide a family with a kit of essential hygiene supplies;
• $40 can provide a family with a basic kitchen set so they can continue to prepare their own food; and
• $69 can provide a family with an electric heater.

Conclusion

The devastating earthquakes that struck Türkiye and Syria and February have forever altered the lives of millions of people in the region, including members of the CARE family. For the people of Northwest Syria, the earthquakes have displaced far too many families that had already been displaced – in some cases multiple times – before. CARE will continue to deliver critical aid and support families as they are forced to rebuild their lives from the ground up. On behalf of the people and communities impacted by CARE’s response, we thank you for your generous contribution to the Türkiye and Syria Earthquake Response fund.[1]

“Given the scale of the disaster in Türkiye and Northwest Syria, it will take months and years to help people recover. We will do everything in our power to avoid the further deterioration of an already catastrophic situation, by helping people to return to safe homes and to rebuild their lives once again.” – Sherine Ibrahim, Country Director of CARE Türkiye

[1] In order to effectively manage the current emergency response and continue to be able to deploy resources for other emergencies, CARE will reserve 20% of donations to the earthquake response to cover technical support, administration and emergency preparedness expenses, including the rapid deployment of staff to emergencies such as this one.

Links:

• https://www.care.org/our-work/disaster-response/emergencies/earthquakes-devastate-turkey-and-syria/