Turkey and Syria: Five weeks after devastating earthquakes, relief needs remain immense

By Simon D. Kist , 12 March 2023

On 6 February two devastating earthquakes of 7.8 and 7.5 magnitude took place in Turkey’s Kahramanmaraş Province, but more than a month after the disaster hit, needs remain immense, while funding has been slow. The Turkey Earthquake Appeal of $1 billion is currently only 10.4 per cent funded with $104.3 million received. The Syria Earthquake Flash Appeal has received $218 million, or 55 per cent, of the nearly $400 million needed.

Overall, more than 52,000 people are reported killed by the natural disaster. In Turkey, at least 46,100 people have lost their lives in the earthquakes, of whom at least 4,267 were Syrian nationals. The death toll in Syria is estimated at more than 6,000 people with more than 4,500 deaths have been reported in the north-west of the country.

The number of collapsed and heavily damaged buildings in 11 provinces in the Turkish earthquake zone has reached 230,000. According to United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 9.1 million people are directly affected in Turkey, while 3,3 million people are evacuated from the earthquake zone, according to Turkish authorities.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that over 2.7 million people have been displaced in Turkey by the earthquakes. A majority of these people are living in temporary settlements, half of which are classified as informal. Due to the scale of the crisis, temporary settlements lack access to safe and dignified water and sanitation, health care and other essential services, OCHA reports.

According to Turkish government figures, 332 tent sites have been established in the 11 earthquake-affected provinces. The sites include close to 370,500 tents hosting 1.5 million people. Additionally, around 209 container spots are set up across 10 provinces, of which 62 container spots - totaling 3,000 containers - are located in the worst-hit Hatay province. In other provinces, a total of some 330,000 people affected by the disaster are provided with accommodation services, bringing the total number of people provided with shelter and accommodation to some 1.9 million.

As of March 10, the Turkey earthquake emergency appeal of $1 billion is currently 10.4 per cent funded with $104.3 million received. A long-term needs assessment led by the Turkish governmen with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank and the European Union (EU) estimates the earthquake damages at over US$100 billion.

Meanwhile, in Syria, the United Nations continues to scale up the response to earthquake-impacted areas, where at least 8.8 million people have been affected. Most of these people are expected to need at least one form of humanitarian assistance. 3.7 million children in earthquake-affected areas across the country are facing the risk of contracting diseases and lack access to basic services.

Since the beginning of the emergency response, humanitarian organizations have reached more than 185,000 people across Syria with supplies.  More than 280,000 people have received protection services, including awareness sessions on gender-based violence and child protection.

More than 4,500 deaths and 8,700 injuries have been reported in north-western Syria.  Tens of thousands of people became homeless as more than 10,600 buildings have been completely or partially destroyed in north-western Syria. Humanitarian organizations estimate that homes for some 2.7 million people have been damaged in Aleppo, Hama, Latakia and Homs.

In the north-west, as of March 10, 702 trucks loaded with relief aid — provided by seven UN agencies — have so far crossed from Turkey since the earthquakes, using the three available border crossings. The Syria Earthquake Flash Appeal has to date received $218 million, or 55 per cent, of the nearly $400 million needed.

 

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