Earthquakes hit Turkey and Syria

Thank you

It’s absolutely heartbreaking. Seeing the remains of buildings knowing there could be thousands crushed is beyond belief. 😢

Truly astonishing pictures of the block of flats collapsing like a pack of cards or like a scene from a disaster movie. Just dreadful.
I wonder if the fault lines there were being continuously monitored like they are in many other countries. The one upon which San Francisco is built is one of course. That ways residents have a chance to escape before the damaging earthquake happens.

The fault lines are definitely monitored. I remember a few years back being told by one of our Turkish friends, whose brother trained as an environmental engineer, that the nature of the fault lines in that part of the world makes it extremely difficult to predict when an earthquake may occur.

And they have snow. Thanks for the links to donate everyone.

Just bumping this so that others can access the links

Thanks FannyCornforth

Requires very large scale help which only governments and very large NGOs are capable of. I assume Erdogan has mobilised the Turkish military to help. This will mean months of action followed by massive reconstruction, hopefully with building code compliance to make buildings more shockproof.

The Red Cross has vast experience in bringing aid swiftly to people where it is needed in these disasters.

The UN and EU offices are coordinating relief. Important that smaller bodies accept their coordination via governments and the larger NGOs as otherwise supplies not immediately required take up freight and air/dockside space needed for urgent stuff.

I’m most concerned about Syria, a lot of international aid is being mobilised to help in Turkey now, but there’s little on the news about Syria, it’s obviously dangerous to provide support there but the people need it.

We donated via The Red Cross online. It was quick and easy.

Casdon

I’m most concerned about Syria, a lot of international aid is being mobilised to help in Turkey now, but there’s little on the news about Syria, it’s obviously dangerous to provide support there but the people need it.

I don’t suppose it’s just the danger aspect - NGOs need cooperation from the govt. and officials, too. One of my dds was working for large NGOs in the aftermath of both the Boxing Day tsunami and the Haiti earthquake. Just for starters in Aceh (tsunami) they had customs officials demanding hefty bribes for releasing essential equipment. And since the NGO in question refused to pay bribes, the equipment was delayed for some time.
Corruption in disaster zones is sadly often rife.
Re Syria in particular, President Assad is not exactly notorious for giving much of a toss about his own people.

Assad will simply see this as a means to beat down the rebel held areas. I doubt he will let much relief through to them.

Witzend thanks for the insight. It’s just so horrific, all those people who could be saved but won’t be because of the conflict.

Casdon

I’m most concerned about Syria, a lot of international aid is being mobilised to help in Turkey now, but there’s little on the news about Syria, it’s obviously dangerous to provide support there but the people need it.

The UK, US, Canada and some European countries fund the White Helmets who are used to search and rescue, medical aid and evacuations in Syria, despite opposition from Russia and bombing campaigns by the Assad-led regime.

I saw that on the news Callistemon, they have been asking for help because of the scale of the disaster, hopefully more has been forthcoming,
I’ve just seen this though, so what *Witzend said is unfortunately what is happening by the looks of it.
www.nytimes.com/2023/02/07/world/europe/turkey-syria-quake-un-aid.html

I can't access that without creating an account but I did find this which is undated, but I think was last year, so pre-earthquake which means the situation is dire for those poor people.

phr.org/renew-syria-border-crossings/

Apologies Callistemon, I created a free account, forgot about that when I posted it. This is the position.

The Bab al-Hawa border crossing is the one used for millions of people in Syria's northwest, as they live in areas the Syrian government does not control. Normally, more than 1,000 truckloads of aid pass through the crossing each month. (This I presume must be what the White Helmets are coordinating).

The Bab al-Hawa crossing itself is "actually intact", according to the spokesperson for UN secretary general Stephane Dujarric. "However, the road that is leading to the crossing has been damaged, and that’s temporarily disrupted our ability to fully use it," he said in a press conference.

Other crossings between Syria and Turkey are subject to sanctions, so effectively there is no way to get the aid to the people who need it effectively at the moment. There are calls for the sanctions to be temporarily lifted, but in the meantime it must be a terrible situation there.

Terrible.

Will they lift sanctions? I hope so, but doubt it somehow.
As if the Syrian people haven't suffered enough for years.

I've stopped watching. Too horrific. I can figure it out in my head without regular reports on death statistics and visual awfulness. However....I'm still staggered at the discovery of the newborn girl complete with umbilical cord. My wonderment knows no bounds.

International Aid seems to me to be slow all round. People are still being pulled out alive. What I don't understand is why if Turkey is in such an earthquake-prone zone they are not constantly prepared to get in and help. People were shouting at police who said they would come back but they suspected they wouldn't. If it were say Japan they would have the infrastructure to help straight away.
Syria is beyond belief the baby saved from its dead mother made me feel so humble.

It’s obvious from some of the photos that while many large buildings were reduced to rubble, others very close by - even just across the road - were still intact. So it would seem that even in such an earthquake-vulnerable zone, buildings can be constructed to withstand them - but many evidently haven’t been.

We visited post-tsunami Aceh while dd was still working there - stayed on the 5th floor of a modern hotel and woke one night to find the bed shaking as if a giant had got hold of it - and all the hangers in the wardrobe rattling like mad.

In the morning there was zero damage and the staff were completely unconcerned - we read that it was ‘only’ a 6.1 - but bloody scary! (Dh of course insisted that he wasn’t scared at all.).
They do have mini shocks and tremors in the area all the time, but buildings obviously can be made to withstand even much bigger ones.

So very upset with every report coming from Turkey via Red Cross Appeals. Those people need so much help

Heartbreaking situation for the poor people in midst of this. Apparently the authorities doing not a lot specially for smaller towns and villages, even when they're just minutes from main highways and cities!! Some saying that so called aid from authorities knock off home at 5!!! Heartened to see UK stepping up again with practical useful aid already there! Sure other nations will do similar, Turkish gov need a kick up the jaxxi!