2023 Turkey-Syria Earthquake Response
©Turkish Red Crescent
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Turkey’s south-eastern border close to northern part of Syria on 6 February 2023, with several aftershocks which also recorded around magnitude 7.0. Nearly 60,000 lives were lost by the disaster and tens of thousands of people were left homeless.
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.”
Harsh winter with sub-zero temperature made the situation in Syria even more bleak in addition to extreme shortages of fuel, electricity and water which were caused by the protracted crisis. Responding to a dire situation, both the Turkish Red Crescent Society (TRCS) and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) mobilized their emergency response teams right after the first quake and have been providing a wide range of assistance to the affected populations. We, as the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, will continue to support the affected people in coordination with TRCS and SARC.
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement Response (IFRC, ICRC, each National Society)
With tireless work of 80,000 volunteers and stuff in both countries, and international solidarity as the movement, we've reached 14 million people with healthcare, food, water, cash, and so many other supports.
Turkish Red Crescent Society
people can receive cash assistance through this ESEN card by the TRCS in cooperation with IFRC ©TRCS
Food security：distribute hot meals and ready-to-eat packages at more than 1,000 distribution points
Health and medical services：provide healthcare to remote areas by Mobile Health Unit (MHU), psychosocial support, Community-Based Health and First Aid
Cash assistance：provide cash support through several Multi-purpose cash assistance program
Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)：deploy shower/laundry trailers, distribute hygiene kits which contains tooth brush, razor, diaper and such
Shelter：distribute non-food items, tents, furnished containers
Blood：provide blood products, imlpement blood donation campaign
Syrian Arab Red Crescent
Basic Assistance：distribution of food, nutritious supplements, hygiene kits, blankets, sleeping bags and other items
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：assesment of facilities/infrastructure related to sanitation/water distribution, instalment of water purification tanks, and distribution of bottled water and hygiene kits
Restoring family links：assist reunion of separated families by providing/gathering information
Protection, gender and inclusion：Dissemination of information on safety and security measures during earthquakes, panic management, child care, grief and loss, and implementation of awareness-rising projects against gender-based violence
SARC deployed Mobile Health Units to make healthcare and medicines accessible for remote areas©SARC
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
IFRC and ICRC have launched each Emergency Appeals to respond to the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
▶IFRC-Emergency Appeal
Funding requirements for Turkey: 400million CHF (approx. JPY 60billion)
Funding requirements for Syria: 100million CHF (approx. JPY 15billion)
▶ICRC-Budget Extension Appeal
Funding requirements for Turkey: 2.6million CHF (approx. JPY 390million)
Funding requirements for Syria: 29million CHF (approx. JPY 4.3billion)
*calculation exchange rate 1CHF = 150JPY
Transporting aid supplies to SARC ©IFRC
Japanese Red Cross Society
JRCS’s pharmacist working closely with a Syrian nurse in a mobile medical vehicle©JRCS
▶Launched a fundraising campaign for “2023 Turkey-Syria Earthquake Relief Fund” :
The Japanese Red Cross Society has set up “2023 Turkey-Syria Earthquake Relief Fund” to support emergency relief and reconstruction activities by RCRC movement including TRCS, SARC, IFRC and ICRC (the campaign was closed in end of May 2023).
▶Supports implemented
-Cash contribution to the Emergency Appeals
-In-kind donations of relief items, vehicles, and medical supplies
-Bilateral cash contribution for procurement of WASH trailers and medications and cash support for winterization
-Deployment of medical delegates to support operations on the ground (Pharmacists and a Health Coordinator)
etc...
TRCS staff preparing hot meals in Turkey ©TRCS
JRCS and TRCS staff with local kids from Kahramanmaraş, one of the hardest hit areas in Turkey©TRCS
Vehicles contributed to TRCS from JRCS ©JRCS
JRCS nurse, carefully listening to affected people in Syria ©JRCS