Turkey-Syria Earthquake Response 2023
©Turkish Red Crescent
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Turkey’s south-eastern border close to Syria’s northern border on February 6th, 2023, with several aftershocks which also recorded around magnitude 7.0. More than 60,000 people lost their lives in Turkey and Syria, as well as dozens of buildings damaged by the disaster. Many have lost their homes and still displaced.
Voice of a survivor
“Suddenly we were in total darkness, as if the earth was going to swallow us all up. I felt I was going to die, my child was crying, my wife was screaming, and after nine hours we heard voices approaching and some people dug my wife and child out of the rubble. …After we had all lost hope, fortunately we were all able to see the sky again. This incident will stay with us for years to come.”
Sub-zero temperatures in the devastated areas caused the harsh humanitarian condition in addition to the impacts of protracted crisis and economic sanctions in Syria. Both the Turkish Red Crescent Society (TRCS) and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) mobilized their emergency response teams right after the disaster on February 6th and provided various kinds of assistance to the affected populations. We, as the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, support the affected who have been suffering from the severe earthquake in coordination with TRCS and SARC.
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement Response (IFRC, ICRC, each National Society)
TRCS and SARC have been providing a wide range of support such as search and rescue, food and water distribution, shelter, medical services, and psychosocial support in order to protect the lives, health, and dignity of those affected.
Turkish Red Crescent Society
mobile medical care by Turkish Red Crescent ©JRCS
Shelter：distributing tents and blankets
Food security：food truck, distribution of hot meals and ready-to-eat packages
Health and medical services：providing health and mediacal care for remote areas by Mobile Health Unit (MHU)
Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)：distribution of bottled water and hygiene kits such as diapers
Cash assistance：establishment of Multi-purpose cash assistance program
Blood：provision of blood products, impementation of blood donation campaign
Syrian Arab Red Crescent
Basic Assistance：distribution of food, nutritious supplements, hygiene kits, blankets, sleeping bags and mattresses
Search and Rescue：rescue from the collapsed buildings and provide first aid services, and transfer to hospital
Health and medical services：mobilization of MHU, maternal and child health services, distribution of medications, and psychosocial support
WASH：distribution of bottled water and hygiene kits, and instalment of water purification tanks
Restoring family links：assist reunion of separated families by providing information and such
Protection, gender and inclusion：implementation of prevention and awareness-rising projects against gender-based violence
Distribution of food by SARC ©Jani Savolainen/IFRC
International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) and Red Crescent and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
IFRC and ICRC have launched Emergency Appeals to respond to the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
▶IFRC-Emergency Appeal
Funding requirements for Turkey: 450million CHF (approx. JPY 65billion)
Funding requirements for Syria: 200million CHF (approx. JPY 29billion)
▶ICRC-Budget Extension Appeal
Fundindg requirements for Turkey: 2.6million CHF (approx. JPY 370million)
Fundindg requirements for Syria: 29million CHF (approx. JPY 4.2billion)
Transporting aid supplies to SARC ©IFRC
Japanese Red Cross Society has…
In a Mobile healthcare vehicle, JRCS’s pharmacist working closely with a local nurse in Syria ©JRCS
▶Launched the fundraising campaign called “2023 Turkey-Syria Earthquake Relief Fund” :
The Japanese Red Cross Society has set up the “2023 Turkey-Syria Earthquake Relief Fund” to support emergency relief and reconstruction activities by RCRC movement including TRCS, SARC, IFRC and ICRC (this fundraising campaign will be closed in end of May 2023).
▶Implemented: JPY 1.95 billion activities in total (as of April 18th, 2023) :
-Emergency cash contribution to the Appeals
-Healthcare support for MHU
-In-kind donations of relief items, vehicles, and medical supplies
-Cash contributions for Food assistance and WASH trailers
-Deployment of the medical delegate to support operations on the ground (Pharmacist and Health Coordinator) etc.
TRCS staff preparing hot meals in Turkey ©TRCS
JRCS staff and people from Kahramanmaraş, one of the hardest hit areas in Turkey©TRCS
Vehicles contributed to TRCS from JRCS ©JRCS
Relief items being sent to Turkey ©IFRC