Turkey and Syria: “The situation before the earthquake was dire, catastrophic – and now it is even more so”

Ibrahim and Taha are just two of the CARE staff members working to deliver lifesaving aid and resources to the earthquakes’ victims.

As they’ve described what CARE and its partners have been doing to help the rescue efforts, reporters have repeatedly asked them why – despite the cold and the discomfort – they’re still outside.

“Since the earthquake struck, all of us have found it hard to go back to our homes,” Ibrahim said.

“People feel like it’s safer to be out in the open, in our cars, for the night.”

“I consider myself lucky,” Taha said. “Because my son was born outside of Syria. He never knew, like his cousins, about war, but yesterday I was telling him we should go indoors, it’s warmer, and he said, ‘No. We have earthquakes. We should stay outside.’”

As ambulance sirens continually blared outside his car window, Taha went on.

“Everyone is traumatized, myself included. Kids are severely affected. We can see it on their faces. They cannot express how they feel.”

CARE’s on-the-ground teams and partners are trying to help people on both sides of the Turkey-Syria border, and they’ve been particularly worried about what the destruction has done to the already-dire situation in Syria.

“Allepo and Idleb have been the hardest hit,” Ibrahim said. “The reality is the one remaining border crossing is a critical lifeline.”

“Regardless of what the political positions are right now, the humanitarian imperative is far greater than it has ever been before.”

Taha agreed.

“The clock is ticking on both sides of the border. Every minute delayed we might lose the chance to rescue a life.

“This is the situation on both sides of the border.

“Both sides are sharing the same pain.”

“There is a lot of hope still,” Taha said. “Tents, mattresses, food. Everything counts. Every dollar counts, because one mattress could improve the living condition or the night of that young boy who is sleeping on a floor outdoors.”

The situation is changing by the hour, but CARE Turkey and its partners are prioritizing the delivery essentials like tents, mattresses, blankets, clean drinking water, baby food, and thermal clothing to people seeking refuge from the earthquake and the looming snowstorm. CARE is also preparing for potential influxes of internally displaced persons across northern Syria to areas where CARE and its partners operate.