“We are all in shock”: CARE begins recovery work after deadly earthquake impacting Turkey and Syria

“The news of the destruction and death caused by the earthquake in Gaziantep and Northwest Syria is devastating,” said Michelle Nunn, CARE USA President and CEO. “CARE is urgently working to account for all our staff in both Syria and Turkey, while also assessing the immediate humanitarian needs.”

“Given the extent of the damage and weather conditions, we already know there will be an urgent need for heavy machinery, food kits, blankets, mattresses, and cash assistance.”

Gaziantep is home to millions of Syrian civil war refugees and is the site of one of the largest operations run by the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR).

Turkey as a whole hosts the highest number of Syrian refugees globally, reporting over 3.6 million registered there as of 2022. And while up until this point Turkey has been able to cope with hosting refugees relatively well compared to other neighboring countries, social services had already been overstretched before the deadly earthquakes.

Before he arrived at the shelter, Rami — who is a CARE Germany program officer for Yemen and Northwest Syria — had been outside on the snowy streets with others who had been woken up by the quake, which some reports have said lasted nearly 90 seconds.

“It was very scary,” Rami said. “I thought it would never stop, and the whole city was falling apart. At the moment, my phone battery is only at 13 percent. The people here are crying. Everyone is afraid. The situation is particularly difficult for children and the elderly.”

“The aftershocks are very strong, and everyone fears that the next building will collapse.”

For its initial recovery work, CARE Turkey is prioritizing the delivery of essential items to people seeking refuge from the earthquake. According to meteorological reports, an impending snowstorm is also looming over the region, which will be adding to challenges faced by the population and the ability of humanitarian agencies to respond.

CARE Turkey will also continue its existing cross-border operations to respond to the worst affected areas in Northwest Syria, where on-the-ground teams and partners are trying to deliver blankets, food, mattresses, tents, and other non-food items to people in need amid harsh weather conditions.

More than 60 percent of the 4.6 million population of Northwest Syria are internally displaced persons, and they are now facing renewed displacement due to the earthquake.

“We are hampered by the extreme weather, including snowfall, over Southeast Turkey and Northwest Syria, making it very difficult for us to access roads, warehouses, and supplies that are desperately needed at this current time,” said Sherine Ibrahim, CARE Turkey Country Director.

“We continue to coordinate with other humanitarian groups, including UN agencies, to pull together information as accurate as is possible during such times.

“But currently, we’re in dire need of immediate support in the form of financial assistance to make sure that those who are out in the cold are able to find warmth, those who are hungry are able to eat, and children who are already suffering from malnutrition are able to survive.

“Obviously, our priority, at this point, is the people of Southeast Turkey and Northwest Syria, who have been hit the hardest by one of the most destructive and wide-reaching earthquakes to impact the region in recent times.”

CARE Turkey hopes to collaborate with the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency in Turkey [AFAD] to deliver essential supplies to people in makeshift shelters across Turkey where people have sought refuge, including schools, mosques, and other temporary shelters allocated by the government.

This story is developing, so please follow @CARE on Twitter for continued updates. For ways to help now, please visit the Turkey & Syria Earthquakes Fund page here.