Turkiye Earthquake Response

It’s been just about eight months since two earthquakes of catastrophic proportions struck Türkiye and Northwest Syria in the early hours of February 6th, 2023. With the aftermath of these unexpected disasters and over 1,600 subsequent aftershocks, the road to recovery remains long. According to UN OCHA, an estimated 8.8 million people were affected by the mass destruction caused by the earthquakes and aftershocks, claiming over 50,000 lives and leaving tens of thousands of people injured. 

Concern Worldwide was already on the ground in Türkiye and Syria, uniquely positioning our teams to respond to the crisis within hours of its occurrence, quickly distributing blankets, sleeping mats, heaters, and creating temporary shelters where possible. While news of the sudden disasters has mostly departed from media headlines, the millions of people affected by the earthquakes rely on humanitarian assistance as their lifeline while they try to adjust to a new idea of normal. The widespread damage and devastation demolished homes, service infrastructure, and installations, leaving too many people without access to food, water, and shelter. Communities impacted are still working tirelessly to reconstruct their lives after enduring such an unprecedented natural disaster, and theirneeds change as the seasons do. When the earthquakes struck, the area affected was below freezing. The frigid conditions were soon replaced by intense summer heat, and the cyclical pattern continues as we enter the winter months of 2023.  

Our teams are supplying food kits which include items such as rice, pasta, oil, sugar, and beans; hygiene kits with soap, sanitary pads, shampoo, toothbrushes and towels, and baby kits; nappies, changing mats, children’s potties. Concern is also providing shelter kits with solar lamps, electric fans, mattresses, tarpaulins and commodes for people with disabilities, along with latrines, shower cabins and water tanks. These material goods help offer a level of support to the mental health and psychosocial well-being of those affected, who have endured unimaginable trauma.  

Along with our partners,Concern is providing lifesaving assistance to disaster-affected communities through the following response and anticipates having reached over 112,665 individuals by the end of October 2023:  

• Provision of water and sanitation services and hygiene items (inadequate sanitation facilities and services increase the risk of waterborne diseases, such as cholera and diarrhea)  
• Provision of emergency shelter and non-food items to earthquake-affected households  
• Provision of psychosocial support to improve individuals’ ability to cope with extreme shock and traumatic events, supporting their wellbeing 
• Multipurpose cash assistance, a resource that allows affected families to afford daily needs like food, shelter supplies, medical care, and clothes while also supporting local markets  

Our teams remain steadfast in our support of ongoing relief activities, as a full recovery still remains a distant goal for many. Families lost their loved ones, their homes, and their way of life and found themselves struggling to survive, faced with profound trauma. It's worthy of remembrance that Türkiye has the largest refugee population in the world, home to over 3.6 million Syrian refugees.The crisis that began on February 6th of 2023 not only exacerbated the humanitarian crisis already being faced in Türkiye and Syria...it created a new one altogether.  

On February 6th, 2023, media headlines were flooded with news of two sudden earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria, and the devastation that killed over 50,000 people and impacted millions more. 

As we near the end of June 2023, the populations affected by the earthquakes continue the struggle to rebuild their lives after facing such an unprecedented natural disaster, and Concern Worldwide remains committed to seeing the relief effort through. Four months on, much of the rubble from the earthquake has been cleared and mass demolition of dangerous structures is underway. For the hundreds of thousands living in temporary shelter, winter’s discomforts will soon be replaced by the extreme heat of the southeast Anatolian summer, when temperatures often top 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Recovery is for many still an aspiration, but while they wait, they are sustained by a sense of community and support from humanitarian organizations like Concern. 

The sheer scale of the impact that the earthquakes and over 1,600 aftershocks had on the lives of people in Turkey and Syria is hard to grasp. As we've seen historically, communities affected by natural disasters as devastating as an earthquake face long roads to reach a return to normalcy. Livelihoods are heavily impacted, and economies become fragile. Food insecurities rise, and vulnerabilities amongst populations. In Turkey and Syria, where there are communities that were already vulnerable and disadvantaged prior to the sudden earthquake, people face even greater obstacles as they struggle to survive and recover.  

Concern was already on the ground in Turkey and Syria when the earthquakes struck, which enabled us to swiftly respond to the emergency to address immediate needs. Following the devastation, shelter was the biggest need. Temperatures were below freezing in the areas hit by the earthquake, and our team ramped up our response rapidly to supply those affected with blankets and heaters, along with food and water. As part of our emergency response, we distributed 7,500 blankets, 3,900 sleeping mats and over 5,400 hygiene kits that include soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and female sanitary supplies. Working in collaboration with international and local humanitarian organizations, we continue to supply shelter, food, cooking utensils, build emergency toilets and help to rehabilitate and improve access water, latrine and hygiene facilities. The Concern team has also been facilitating psychosocial activities specifically aimed at children, to help improve their psychological well-being in the wake of the traumatic events of February and months of homelessness. 

Post-earthquake needs were both massive and urgent, yet in the wake of such an unprecedented disaster, we were also able to witness a strong sense of solidarity that grew in the face of adversity. Women affected by the earthquakes drew strength from each other and became part of the effort to support each other in the aftermath. A woman who our team worked with reflected on this sense of community, explaining that “Despite the challenges, there is a great sense of solidarity among women in the tent area. Since I am a widow, other women living in nearby tents have set up their own tents next to mine and told me that I am not alone. Women whom I had never met before embraced me.”  

Although their lives were deeply affected by the crisis, community members still took a stand to assist each other by volunteering to deliver first aid, psychosocial support, and distributing food to others affected. Neighbours helped each other construct makeshift shelters using whatever materials they could find. During the initial four days, families pooled and shared what food was available, driven by the necessity to support each other, reminiscent of the lessons learned during the crisis in Syria. There has been a sense of mutual support, making daily life more manageable. 

Concern Worldwide will continue to provide life-saving aid and remain flexible in our response to meet the changing needs of the populations affected by this sudden disaster.We continue to work with local partners and organizations to ramp up efforts for additional, longer-term support. This story may have departed from headlines, but our work continues as we try to alleviate the suffering caused by the devastating earthquakes in early February.In the wake of such a disaster, the people of Turkey and Syria need as much help as they can get as they continue forward on a long road to recovery.