DEC Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal
Two huge earthquakes have caused widespread devastation in Turkey (Türkiye) and Syria.
More than 40,000 people have died and many more have been injured, with hundreds of thousands more impacted. Thousands of buildings, including hospitals and schools, have collapsed and infrastructure has been badly damaged.
A 7.8 magnitude quake struck near Gaziantep, Turkey, in the early hours of Monday 6 February while people were asleep. A new 7.5-magnitude tremor hit at around 13:30 local time (10:30 GMT), which officials said was "not an aftershock".
People have been left without shelter in freezing winter conditions, with humanitarian needs expected to grow in the coming days. Access to clean water will likely be a challenge, bringing the risk of cholera and other diseases.
Concern Worldwide is currently supplying blankets and heaters in Şanlıurfa, close to the epicentre of the earthquakes in southern Turkey, along with food and water.
Concern is also opening community centres that are deemed safe, so families have somewhere to sleep. In northwest Syria, Concern is working with local partners to assess what response is needed.
“The biggest priority for people affected by these earthquakes is shelter as it’s currently below freezing in the areas hit by the earthquakes,” said Fiona Gannon, regional director with Concern.
These have been some of the strongest earthquakes in Turkey in 100 years and aftershocks have disrupted communications and electricity supplies, many people are too afraid to go inside, choosing to sleep in their cars instead
Concern has been working in Gaziantep and Şanlıurfa since 2013, through livelihood, education and protection programming.
We urgently need your help to scale up our life-saving support.
